She Knows Now
by calmvisage
Summary: Veronica doesn't destroy the DNA results and she doesn't pass up the chance to find out why Duncan broke up with her. Things escalate from there. Vmficrecs August 2014 prompt #5.4
1. Chapter 1

**She Knows Now**  
**Author: **calmvisage**  
Rating: **T (some language)**  
Genre: **Drama/romance**  
Setting: **Season 1, AU**  
Spoilers: **Starts at 1.10 Echolls Family Christmas then warps around through season 1**  
Status: **Complete**  
Summary: **Veronica doesn't destroy the DNA results and doesn't pass up the chance to find out why Duncan broke up with her.  
**Note:** I don't own Veronica Mars. I'm just a big fan.

_This is it._ Veronica grabbed the nondescript manila envelope from the mailbox. To anyone else, it could contain anything. But she knows it's the key to her true parentage. She quickly unlocked the front door to her quiet apartment and sat heavily on the couch. She knew her father was working on the Aaron Echolls case so she has some time alone. _Should I open it? What if it says he isn't my father? What would that mean for our family? _She chewed on her thumbnail, staring wordlessly out at their apartment. Building up courage, she quickly ripped into the envelope and shuddered out a sob when she saw "DNA MATCH." Keith is her father. She is truly a Mars. She folded the paper and moved silently to her bedroom, hiding the results behind a picture frame of her and her dad at the San Diego Zoo.

* * *

The next day at school, Veronica and Wallace are interrupted by Duncan storming through the hallway after Weevil.

"I want my laptop. Now." Duncan growled.

Smirking, Weevil replies, "How does it feel to want?"

The confrontation continued and when Duncan grabbed Weevil's shirt, Veronica knew she had to step in before the four big motorcycle guys behind them got involved. Weevil shoved Duncan and coolly walked away.

"Why did he steal your laptop?" Veronica asked Duncan.

"We had a poker game last night and someone took his winnings. He searched us all last night but didn't find the money so he's taking our belongings until the money shows up. Will you look into it?" Duncan sighed and hoisted his backpack onto his shoulder.

Leaning against her locker, Veronica considered. "What's in it for me?"

"I kept a journal while we were dating. It's on my laptop and it's pretty… explicit. I don't think you'd want that to get out."

"Well hell, Duncan. Why don't you keep your diary locked with a key like every other six-year-old girl I know?"

"Very funny. So will you help or not?"

"Yeah, I'll look into it. I don't make any promises though."

The rest of the day passed smoothly. She found Weevil with his buddies and got a more detailed picture of what happened last night. Weevil heard about the $1,000 buy in to the poker game and thought it would be as easy as taking candy from a baby. Or money from a bunch of '09ers. He finagled an invite from Logan Echolls. When he got to the game, he was surprised to see famous actor Connor Larkin there, along with Logan, Duncan, and Sean. They played for a few hours, ordered pizzas, watched Connor go to the bathroom every 10 minutes, and when Weevil finally won the pot, the money was gone. He made them all strip while he searched but couldn't find the rolled up cash. Veronica convinced Weevil to give her Duncan's laptop if she took on this case. He agreed and told her he'd meet her at Dog Beach that night with it.

Veronica did her own sleuthing then. After school, she went to Logan's house with paperwork from her dad and to get an idea of what happened from Logan's perspective. He had obviously tore the pool house apart looking for the cash. He explained that Weevil had taken a Fabrege egg from his house and he was keen to get it back before his dad noticed it was missing. As usual, he was snarky but oddly helpful when he set up a meeting with Connor Larkin for her.

"Just remember, they paint his abs on for photo shoots," Logan said while flopping back down on the couch in the pool house.

"So what you're saying is not everyone can be as naturally handsome as you?" Veronica replied sarcastically.

"Oh, you think I'm hot? My life is now fulfilled!"

"You wish I thought you were hot. I'll let you know what I find out from Connor." Veronica saluted Logan while walking through the door.

"I wish you thought of me at all," Logan said quietly while watching the blonde walk through the yard and into the main house.

Returning home, she clipped Backup's leash on and walked down to the beach. She was still mentally churning the results of her DNA test and pondering what Duncan would have written about her in his journal. They had never had sex so she wasn't worried about those details getting out. She wondered though how explicit he had gotten or if he wrote about why he broke up with her.

Hearing the motorcycles pull into the parking lot, Veronica walked over to where Weevil was dismounting his bike. He pulled the laptop bag out of his cargo box but didn't hand it over. Veronica lifted an eyebrow in question.

"Did you do some detective work today, PI?" Weevil asked.

"Yes. I met with Logan and he set me up to see Connor Larkin tomorrow." Weevil nodded and handed the bag over. She crossed the strap to the bag over her body and started to walk away.

"Make sure you figure this out quick, V. We wouldn't want more things to go missing." He got on his bike and started the engine. Veronica nodded and walked back down the beach towards her apartment building.

Returning home, she found her dad in the kitchen making dinner.

"Honey, I'm home!" she called out while she set the laptop bag down and unclipped the leash from her dog's collar.

"I was about to send out a search party. How was your day?" her father asked.

"You know, same stuff, different day. Kicking butt and taking names." Veronica walked into her room while talking and set the laptop bag on her desk. Returning to the kitchen, she eyed her dad warily while he cursed and removed a sheet of blackened chicken from the oven.

"So… chicken for dinner?" she asked cautiously.

"I uh, guess I left it in too long."

"We can always have icecream for dinner," Veronica asked optimistically.

Keith laughed at her hopeful expression and said, "One day, CPS is going to come and take you away."

"And I'd tell them that we most definitely had pot roast and vegetables for dinner that night."

After cleaning up the dishes from dinner, Veronica told her dad she had homework and went into her room. She opened Duncan's laptop and stared at the screen. _Am I really going to do this? _She laughed out loud when she realized Duncan didn't require a password or have any security measure in place. _For the son of a technology millionaire, he sure didn't learn how to keep his stuff private. _She quickly found his journal and clicked back through the entries to the beginning of October last year.

_It's so hard to see her at school. I wish we could still be together and I wish I could tell her why we can't, but it's impossible. If she knew her mom had an affair with my dad and she could be my sister, she'd flip. She loves her dad more than anything. So I haven't said anything. I ignored her and ignored the look on her face when she's teased by '09ers for being dumped. Logan asked me why I did it but I couldn't tell him. I know he's always had a soft spot for Veronica and I don't want him to think she did anything wrong, but it's too hard._

_He broke up with me because he thinks I'm his sister and didn't even think to tell me?_ Veronica sighed and looked over to the picture of her and her dad at the zoo. _I've got to tell Duncan it's not true._ She clicked through a few more entries when her eyes caught Shelley Pomeroy's name.

_I saw Veronica at Shelley Pomeroy's party and my heart tripped. She looked so beautiful and I was so sick of hurting and being alone. She was my last link to Lilly and all I wanted to do was talk to her and tell her I missed her. I heard the other '09ers whispering about her and when she was passed out by the pool, I brought her into the house. She looked so beautiful laying in that bed and even though I knew it was wrong, I kissed her. We made love that night and it was more than I could have ever imagined. I was so ashamed when I woke up that I left her there. I don't know if she's going to say anything to me but I can't talk to her about it. She doesn't know why we broke up and I'd rather kill myself than hurt her again._

Veronica sat stiffly at her desk, staring at the computer screen. _Jesus. It was Duncan. All along, it was him._ Her mind flashed back to waking up alone, her dress torn and her thighs smeared with blood. To Sheriff Lamb telling her to go see the Wizard, not believing she was raped. To her blonde hair falling into the sink while she brutally chopped at it with scissors. _I definitely need to talk to him about this. _She shut the laptop and took in a big breath.

* * *

The next day, her Veronica's mind was still reeling over what she had read in Duncan's journal. Wallace found her at her locker and tried to get her attention.

"Earth to Mars! What do you have going on in that big brain of yours?" he said when she finally looked at him.

"Sorry papa bear, I was thinking about my new case. Say, do you know anything about Sean Friedrich?" Veronica pulled books out of her bag and switched them with ones from her locker.

"Besides the fact that he's an '09er and a complete ass, no. Why do you ask?"

"He was at Logan's for a poker game and some money was stolen. I need to pay him a visit. Can you get his address from the attendance office for me?" She tilted her head and fluttered her eyelashes coyly at her best friend.

Sighing, he agreed and said "But you owe me, little girl. I expect some sort of baked good tomorrow." She nodded and they walked to their first class past Logan who had watched their interaction intently. _Something seems different about her today_, Logan thought as he pushed away from the locker and walked down opposite side of the hall.

After school, Veronica went to the movie set to meet with Connor Larkin. He flirted with and teased her, but she knew that he hadn't taken the money. He was pretty to look at though. When she got back to Neptune, she drove to Sean Friedrich's house and knocked on the door. It was answered by Sean's father who, wearing a full suit, told her that Sean wasn't available. Veronica glanced at her watch, noticing it was 3:00pm, and returned home.

Grabbing Backup's leash, she clipped it on his collar and walked out to the beach. She was looking out at the ocean while walking when she tripped over someone in the sand. She fell unattractively into a heap and looked up into Logan's laughing eyes.

"I always knew you would fall for me," Logan said, smirking but remaining seated.

"Yeah, I bet. What are you doing here?" she replied, wiping sand off of her chest and legs.

"Looking to see how the other side of wealth lives."

She narrowed her eyes at him and scowled. "So it's an informative mission, is it? We lowly peasants lead such different lives than you holier '09ers. We drive cars worth less than your monthly allowance, clip coupons for the grocery store, and some even have basic cable tv." She huffed and crossed her arms over her chest, watching Backup while he ran in circles.

"Fascinating. Someone should make a documentary. Really though, I was here to see how it went with Connor today." He didn't look at her, instead staring out at the ocean.

"All right, I guess. He didn't take the money." She sat down next to him, still keeping an eye on her dog.

"How do you know that?" he looked at her now, noticing the way her hair fell over her eyes and the dark circles under them. She'd obviously had a sleepless night.

"I'm pretty sure who did it. Plus Connor is mega rich. He doesn't need to steal money from some high school kids."

"So who took it?"

"I'm not ready to divulge that information just yet. I want you to throw another poker night. If I correctly guess who took the money, I get to sit at the table."

"It's a thousand dollar buy in. Are you willing to lose that sort of cash?" Logan looked incredulous now.

"Oh, I won't be losing. Just invite the guys and I'll be there. Sooner the better. Weevil mentioned something about more items going missing."

Logan sighed. "I guess we could do it tomorrow. My mom is throwing a big Christmas party and we could hole up in the pool house again."

"Sure, that works for me." Still watching her dog, Veronica sat next to her old friend turned enemy and thought of other times they had sat on the beach. Apparently Logan had thought of the same things.

"Where did our friendship go wrong?" he asked quietly.

She whipped her eyes to his face and saw that he was serious. A biting comment was on the tip of her tongue but she reined it in, opting to gentle her words. "I'm not sure Logan. After Lilly died, everything changed."

He nodded solemnly. "I miss the way it was, you know. With the four of us."

"I miss it sometimes too. Sometimes something happens and I go to call Lilly to tell her and remember I can't."

"Yeah, me too. More often than you know."

"So why did you do it Logan? Alienate me and push me out?" She didn't expect an answer but a sudden rush of anger made her ask. He stayed quiet for a long time and she sighed, standing up to leave. She started to whistle to Backup when he grabbed her wrist.

"I blamed you… at first. Then I realized I blamed myself. Then I realized that was stupid. If you hadn't told her about that stupid kiss with Yolanda, she wouldn't have broken up with me and I would have been with her the day she died. I felt so bad that I didn't protect the woman I loved. But I knew, you know? I knew it was over between us. She had been so distant and I knew she was seeing someone else behind my back. I knew she didn't love me as much as I loved her and while I was busy blaming, I took it out on you."

Veronica sat back down next to him and folded her hands in her lap. She didn't really know what to say. "I felt bad about the Yolanda thing but I was trying to be a good friend. You would have done the same thing with Duncan or I."

He nodded and looked down at her hands. "Yeah, I probably would have. Did she say anything to you about seeing someone else?"

"No. She usually bragged about that sort of stuff but we had argued about it right after Duncan broke up with me. I told her that she shouldn't lead you on so much, that you didn't deserve it."

Logan looked up to Veronica's face and saw the truth in her eyes. "Thanks for that, even though it didn't do much."

"Did he..." she took a deep breath. "Did Duncan ever tell you why he broke up with me?"

"I asked. More times than I probably should have. He never told me why. I didn't know what to think but bros before hoes and all that. I had to take his side even if he wouldn't tell me why."

"I get that. I found out why yesterday." She fidgeted with her hands, remembering what else she found out in Duncan's journal.

"Why? How?" He looked at her expectantly.

"I'm, uh, not ready to go into that yet. I need to talk to him first."

"Not surprising. Miss Veronica Mars, keeper of all the secrets." He chuckled softly but his mind was churning with this new development. _Is that why she looks different today? _he thought.

Veronica stood up suddenly. "Well, this has been fun. I need to go home now. Don't forget to tell the boys about your poker night tomorrow."

"All right, but for the record, I'm not exactly thrilled to have Weevil in my house again."

"Duly noted. See you tomorrow and bring your game face." He watched as she clipped the leash on her dog's collar and walked down the beach towards the road and to her apartment building, thinking of the conversation they just had.

* * *

The next day, Veronica got to school early and quickly picked the lock to Duncan's locker. She needed to return his laptop but wasn't keen to talk to him just yet. She had spent all night thinking about what Logan had said about Duncan shutting down. She knew that Duncan hated confrontation and had resigned herself to never getting an answer about their break up. Now that she had it, as well as the details about the burden she'd carried all year, she didn't know what to think. She shoved the laptop bag into his locker, shut the door, and quickly walked away. Weevil came out of an empty classroom and caught her attention.

"So we're on for tonight? You figured it out?" he asked.

"Yes and yes. I am fantastic after all."

He laughed, and eying her speculatively, asked, "You okay, V? You've been a little off."

She narrowed her eyes at him and switched into a valley girl accent. "I'm like, totally awesome!"

"All right, all right. Just wondering." He shook his head at her and walked away.

The morning passed by quickly. She ate lunch with Wallace and presented him with banana bread she had baked last night. He had shoved a huge piece in his mouth and almost began choking.

Hitting him on the back, Veronica said, "Let me go find a cute girl to give you mouth to mouth. 'Cause you know, I'm just not into you like that."

Wallace smirked and took a long drink of his water. "Like you can resist this bod. I know someone who'd like to give you mouth to mouth though." She eyed him warily. He shrugged, looking over at the '09er table where Logan was staring at Veronica.

"Oh no. He's probably just thinking of clever things to write about me on the bathroom wall."

"I don't think so. He's definitely got a certain vibe going on."

She looked back at Logan, still staring at her, and smiled briefly. "He's probably worried about how light his wallet is going to be after I clean them out in poker tonight."

"I expect dinner in my future with your winnings." Wallace shoved another piece of banana bread in his mouth.

"It's always food with you." She looked down at her lunch tray and imagined how much Italian food she could buy with $5,000 won at a poker table. _Probably should save it for college. But lasagna sounds really good right now._

"Nope, sometimes it's girls. Cute girls. And basketball. But mostly girls."

"Where do I fit in this, as your BFF?"

"Well, you're cute and all, but I'm just not into you like that." He smirked and got up from the table. "Good luck tonight, V."

"No luck necessary but thank you. I'll let you know how it goes." Wallace walked away and she glanced up, catching eyes with Logan again. _Just what is going on there?_

After school, Veronica returned home and found her dad working at the kitchen island.

"Hiya pops. What's shakin'?" She grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge and hopped up on the counter to look at her dad.

He shuffled some papers around and sighed. "I have a bad feeling about this Aaron Echolls case. Someone sent him a pumpkin with a knife stabbed in it. I warned them that they should cancel the party but I know they won't listen."

"Huh. Well, I'm going to a poker game in their pool house tonight. Want me to keep an eye on things?"

"No. I don't want you going inside that house. Who knows what craziness will happen. Building up your college fund?" He stood up and made his way to the fridge, grabbing himself a bottle of water.

"Italian food fund. I'll stay out of the house but if I hear anything, I'll let you know."

"Okay honey. Be safe tonight. I'm going back to the office to work on this some more. Don't forget your old man when you're rolling in the dough." He pressed his lips to her temple and gathered his briefcase.

"Like I could ever forget you. I'd need you to help me out of tax evasion charges." She blew him a kiss while he walked out of the apartment's door.

She went into her bedroom and stared at the picture she had hidden the DNA results behind. She knew she needed to talk to Duncan tonight but she was dreading it. Having changed into a fresh outfit, she locked up the apartment and drove to Logan's house for a night of debauchery.

* * *

Veronica walked into the pool house to find Connor Larkin texting on his cell phone, Duncan staring sullenly at a bottle of Jack Daniels, Sean fidgeting with the buttons on his shirt and Weevil wearing sunglasses with his feet propped up on the poker table.

"Where's Logan?" she asked, looking around.

"His dad called him into the house. He should be back soon," Duncan answered, finally looking at her. She nodded and sat down in the empty chair next to him.

"We need to talk later," she said quietly to him. His eyes opened wide but he nodded. Logan entered the pool house and saw her in his seat. He smiled big and bowed graciously.

"My lady detective, do you bring forth good news?"

Veronica rolled her eyes and stood. "Yes indeed. So, here's what I think went down." While circling the pool table, she explained that Duncan wasn't really drunk but was drinking iced tea from a JD bottle to make it seem he was. "Clever, my boy. Very clever." Then she rounded on Connor. "When is your photo shoot again?" He looked sheepishly at her and she explained that his bathroom trips were due to the diuretic he was using to lose weight before his shoot.

"This leaves Logan and Sean. We can rule Logan out-"

Weevil interrupted, "How do you figure, blondie?"

"Because this place was ransacked when I got here the other day. If he had taken the money, he wouldn't have had to search the place like the FBI to find it. Now if you'll let me return to my tale."

At this point, Sean was looking nervous while everyone else was relaxed. Veronica was smug. "Have any of you ever been to Sean's house?" Everyone shook their head no. "I went yesterday and funny thing was, his dad answered the door at 3pm in a full suit. Now, I thought, maybe he just came home from work early and hadn't changed his clothes. But then I realized, what if his dad WAS at work?" Sean gulped loudly. "Your dad is a butler, isn't he Sean? That's why you stole the money… so you could keep up '09er appearances."

Weevil grabbed Sean by the shirt and shook him none too gently. "I have the money! I'll give it back. All of it!" Sean gasped out.

"Damn right you will. Now if you'll excuse me a moment, this poser and I need to have a talk outside." Weevil dragged Sean from table and out to the pool where a loud splash was heard.

Veronica sat down at the table where Sean had sat and took off her jacket, revealing a tshirt that said 'Blondes do it better.' Logan snorted and Duncan stared at her wordlessly. Connor continued texting. Weevil came back in and sat down gracelessly. "Let's get this game started then."

Logan shuffled the cards, dealt, and the game began. It was soon realized that Veronica meant business and took no prisoners. In the end, Veronica and Logan were the only ones left at the table.

"Do you forfeit yet?" she asked, keeping her face masked.

"No way in hell," he replied while moving the cards around in his hands.

She laid down a winning hand and Logan groaned loudly as he realized he lost. "Sorry snookums. I told you I wouldn't be losing." She grabbed the money in the pot and shoved it into her jean pocket. Logan mumbled under his breath and got up from the table, walking into the next room to get a drink. Connor and Weevil had already left when they knew there was no chance of winning against Veronica. She caught Duncan's eye and he motioned to the couch. She nodded and sat down beside him.

She looked at her ex-boyfriend and took a deep breath. "I know why you broke up with me."

He looked at her wide-eyed, mouth partly open. "How?"

"I'm not proud of it, but I read your journal on your laptop. I had to know." Logan had walked back into the room but noticed the tension in the air. He stepped back into the shadows and listened.

He looked angrily at her. "You had no right."

"Yeah, well you had no right telling me I could be your sister."

His eyes softened and he put his hand over hers. "I know. I just… I didn't know how to tell you and it was too hard to be around you when I still loved you so much."

"That's no excuse Duncan. You could have found the words. I was so confused and then Lilly died and I was so alone."

He nodded and looked out the window to the pool. "I'm sorry for that."

"I also know what happened at Shelley Pomeroy's party."

He whipped his eyes to hers, wide and frantic. "I thought we weren't going to talk about that."

"What do you mean? Talk about the fact that I was drugged and don't remember anything from that night? That I woke up alone, scared and hurt? That for a whole fucking year I thought I was raped?" Logan gasped quietly and his hand tightened on the door frame.

"Veronica… I… I thought you knew!" Duncan sputtered.

"Obviously not. What the hell Duncan? Even if I were totally sober, you thought I was your sister! How could you have done that?"

"I don't know. I just loved you so much." His breaths were coming in shallow now.

"I got a DNA test done." She said quietly.

"When? How did you know to test?" Duncan was flabbergasted.

"That's not important. What is important is that Keith Mars is my biological father."

Duncan sagged against the couch in relief. "So what we did wasn't wrong. We can be together again."

"Don't you get it? It wasn't consensual Duncan. I wasn't in my right mind and you took advantage of me. Even if I could get past that, you let me be treated like shit for the last year! Even if you thought I was your sister, how could you let them spread rumors about me without saying a word?"

"You don't understand. I didn't know how to act or what to say."

"That's bullshit and you know it."

"Veronica, come on… I still love you." Duncan dropped to his knees in front of her.

"It's not enough Duncan. I don't…. I can't love you like that anymore." Tears filled her eyes and she looked at him pleadingly. "Just… just go home Duncan. I can't take any more of this tonight." He nodded and quietly picked up his jacket, slipping out of the pool house into the night.

Veronica sat on the couch and cried silently. The cushion dipped next to her and she remembered that Logan was still there. "Did you hear any of that?" she asked quietly.

"Yeah, most of it. God, Ronnie. I don't know what to say." He shook his head and looked down at her bowed head.

"Me either." She took a shuddering breath and looked up into his eyes.

"I wish I had been there for you. I wish I hadn't been such an asshole and could have protected you. I never wanted you to get hurt." He took her hands in his and rubbed his thumb over her palm.

"Honestly, I don't think you could have been there for me. I shut everyone out just as much as they shut me out." He nodded and wrapping his arm around her shoulder, he pulled her in close.

"I still wish it, V," he murmured into her hair. Her tears slowed and she became aware of the hard chest she was pressed up against.

"Logan…"

He tilted her chin up and looked solemnly into her eyes. He bent his head down and lightly touched his lips to hers. Breathing in her smell, he ran his tongue over her lips and she parted them slightly. He gently ran his tongue over hers and she gasped slightly. He deepened the kiss and pulled her closer to his body. They kissed for minutes or hours or weeks, neither knew how long. Breaking apart, Logan gently ran his thumb over her swollen lips. She gave him a small smile.

From outside the pool house, they could hear yelling. A woman screeched loudly, "The way you flirt is shameful." And then someone screamed and an ambulance was called and Aaron Echolls lay bleeding near the pool, with a knife in his belly. They looked at each other wordlessly, unsure what to do.


	2. Chapter 2

Note: I don't own Veronica Mars or anything associated. I'm just a big fan.  
Update 9/2: just fixing some grammatical errors. I don't have a beta so I'm just now getting a chance to fix the little errors :)

* * *

The night Aaron Echolls was stabbed, everything changed. Veronica and Logan had ran out of the pool house to see Keith Mars tackling a woman in a catering uniform. As the ambulance sirens grew louder, the party guests filtered into the yard and stared openly at Aaron on the ground and his wife Lynn standing pale faced, hand covering her mouth. Deputies stormed in an handcuffed the assailant while Keith gave his version of the story. Apparently, the woman had slept with Aaron at a party last year and was angry when he didn't leave his wife to be with her as he had promised. During the confrontation, the woman spewed names of other women Aaron had also broken promises to. Lynn heard everything and was mortified.

Veronica wrapped one arm around Logan's waist and held him close while he watched the scene before them. He looked at his mother and slowly shook his head. Veronica heard him whisper, "When will this all end?" She looked at his face and saw fire in his eyes, directed at Aaron.

Keith needed to go down to the Sheriff's station to give his statement. Veronica promised him that she would be home when he got there but she wanted to stay with Logan for now. He nodded and gave Logan a tight smile. He stopped near Lynn and leaned down to murmur in her ear, clutching her shoulder gently. Her eyes were watery while she watched the ambulance take her husband away.

Veronica stayed with Logan for a few hours. They sat silently on the couch in the pool house holding hands before Logan finally spoke.

"He beats me, you know." He didn't know why he was telling her this. He hadn't really told anyone but it felt like a weight on his chest. Even after the last year of lashing out at her, he knew she was innately trustworthy.

Veronica gripped her hand tighter over his. She had suspected but never knew for sure. She had known him since they were 12 years old and things had never felt quite right around Aaron. "Is it just you, or does he hit your mom and Trina?"

Logan gave a long sigh and looked out across the room. "Just me. He said it builds character."

She shook her head and said, "No one deserves that."

He chuckled mirthlessly. "Oh, I've done plenty to deserve it. You know I'm a bad boy."

"Yeah, you deserve to have your car taken away or be grounded for a while. Not to be hurt by the man who is supposed to protect you."

"Protect. That's a weird concept. No one's ever protected me."

She looked up at him inquiringly and asked, "Not even your mom?"

"No, she tried at first. But he broke her down emotionally. Now she's too drunk most of the time to have any idea of what's going on."

"For what it's worth, I'm sorry Logan," she replied softly.

"I want her to leave him. But I don't know if she's strong enough to. My plan has been to take her away from him when I turn 18." He stood up and paced in front of the couch.

"My dad can help. I know your dad is powerful but mine isn't easily intimidated."

"I don't know what it'll take to get her to ask for help." They both looked at each other, silently thinking over the situation. Veronica's heart broke for the little boy who had grown into a young man without the benefit of a loving father. His cell phone chirped and as he read a text message, she itched to run her hands through his hair and give him comfort.

"He's out of surgery. It looks like he's going to make it. Oh, joy."

"I'll be here for you, Logan. Why don't you call it a night and we can go to the hospital tomorrow together?"

"Yeah, I'd like that. I know we need to talk. About us and what happened tonight and over the last year."

"We do, but that can wait." She stood up and hugged him tightly. He wrapped his arms around her and pressed his nose into her hair. "Call me tomorrow and we'll go together. You aren't alone in this," she said with conviction.

Logan nodded and kissed her head gently. She gathered her jacket and bag and slipped out of the pool house, glancing back at him with a small smile. He sat down heavily on the couch and thought of what tomorrow would bring.

* * *

Keith woke early the next morning. He needed to talk to Aaron and get a clearer picture of what happened last night. But first, he needed to ensure that his daughter was all right. He quietly opened the door to her bedroom and leaned against the frame, watching her sleep. He was at the office yesterday when he realized that one of Aaron's ex-lovers was on the catering team for the party. Keith had learned to follow his gut instincts and his gut was telling him something was going to go wrong. He knew Veronica was at the Echolls house and trusted her to stay away from the party like he had asked. The frisson of panic that his daughter would be hurt during the oncoming drama had only left when he locked in on her blue eyes after he tackled Aaron's attacker. Keith walked softly into the room and pushed back some hair on Veronica's forehead, leaning down to kiss her brow. He knew that she had had a rough year. He also knew that she was keeping personal things from him, but he couldn't force his teenage daughter to confide in him. Sparing one more glance at the light of his life, he walked out of the room and made his way to the hospital.

Because of Aaron's popularity, he had to show his Private Investigator badge at the hospital before being admitted to Aaron's floor and private room. Lifting his hand to knock on the door, he heard a male voice yelling and a woman sobbing. The door was cracked open so Keith stepped into the room quietly and entered the closet, unseen by the room's occupants.

"Dammit Lynn, you know I need to keep up appearances! So what if I have been with other women. Don't tell me you haven't slept with other men while we've been married?" Aaron said snidely.

"No! Never! Our vows meant something to me. You haven't been the easiest man to be married to but I have always been faithful," Lynn said through tears. Not one to pass up an opportunity, Keith clicked on the digital tape recorder he always kept in the inner pocket of his jacket.

"So maybe you're the only faithful woman in Hollywood. Who gives a shit? If you try to divorce me, I will destroy you. I will cut you off in all the ways that matter – money, popularity, your son."

Lynn gasped. Keith could see her stumble back against the wall, her eyes alight with terror.

"Don't you dare touch my son! I have stood by for too long while you beat him and abuse him. Take whatever you want from me, but leave Logan out of this!" Keith's ears perked with the confirmation of his suspicions: Aaron beat Logan and apparently Lynn knew about it.

"Oh, I'll take from you. I'll do whatever it takes for you to obey me. You've seen the scars on his back; you know what I'm capable of. I'll enjoy making you submit Lynn. You'll probably need to stay in the house for a few weeks. I wouldn't want pictures to get out with you bruised and banged up. It wouldn't be good for my image. But you'll learn that you can NEVER leave me and -

Before he consciously realized it, Keith stomped into the room and growled, "That's enough!" He looked back a stricken Lynn, shaking against the wall.

"Ah Keith. Nice of you to join us. Do you have any more information on my attacker?" Aaron asked coolly, ambivalent to Keith's temper.

"You're disgusting Aaron. You're not a real man! Threatening your wife and beating your son just to make you feel like you're in control? Disgusting!" Keith snarled. In two steps he was at Lynn's side and pulled her in close.

"Oh are you one of the men my wife has fucked? I know she hasn't been faithful but I didn't think she'd slum it with the help."

"Aaron! I never -" Lynn began before Keith interrupted.

"That's enough. From what I can gather, Lynn wants to leave you and you were so helpful to threaten her while I recorded it on tape. We have enough to get you and Logan a restraining order. I think we're done here." He looked down at Lynn who was nodding and crying. Aaron scoffed and turned on the television.

"Good luck with that. Money talks in Neptune and I happen to have a lot of it."

Keith grabbed Lynn's hand and walked out of the door. He didn't look at her until they got on the elevator. He pulled her in and when the door closed, he hit the emergency stop button and turned to look at her.

"I can help Lynn. You aren't alone anymore. Tell me what you want to do."

She took a shuddering breath and looked straight into his eyes. "I want him out of mine and Logan's life. I don't care about the money or house or anything except getting away from that monster. I have been passive for too long. Enough is enough."

"We can make that happen. You don't have to be afraid anymore."

She shook her head and gave a little laugh. "I have been afraid for a long time Keith. It's going to take me a while to get used to being free. But I want it so bad I can taste it." Keith nodded, grabbed her hand and squeezed. He released the emergency stop on the elevator and hit the button for the basement.

"First things first, we need to get out of here without you being seen. We need to go to the Sheriff's station and get a temporary restraining order. Lamb is an idiot but I still have friends there. We also need to call Logan and tell him to stop all contact with his father." She looked stricken for a moment but Keith could see her physically buck up and build resolve.

"We'll leave your car here at the hospital and I'll drive. You call Logan then your lawyer. Have him meet us at the station. I'll call my contacts and we'll get this done today."

The both got into his SUV and he started the engine. He looked at her again and she gave him a small smile. "It's going to be okay Lynn."

"I know," she whispered as they drove out of the parking garage and she pulled out her cell phone.

* * *

Veronica's alarm went off at 9am. She hadn't gotten home until 2am and hadn't been able to sleep right away, her mind reeling from both conversations she'd had with Duncan and Logan as well as Aaron's attack and what Logan had confided in her after.

She grabbed her cell phone and saw a text message from her dad: "Call me before you leave the house." Nothing from Logan yet.

She got out of bed and made her way into the bathroom. After a shower and cup of coffee, she sat down at the island with her cell phone. She debated on calling Logan or her dad first. Before she could make a decision, her screen flashed with an incoming call from her dad.

"Hey dad," she answered.

"Veronica, are you still at home?" He sounded hurried.

"Yes, I just got up. I haven't heard from Logan yet. I told him I'd go with to the hospital to see his dad," she said before taking a sip of coffee.

"Don't see Aaron. Go get Logan and bring him back to our house. His mother and I will be there in an hour."

"Uh okay. What's going on?"

"I can't say right now, sweetie. Please just do as I ask. We'll see you soon" Before she could respond, he hung up.

She took a deep breath and shook out her shoulders, suddenly tense. Picking up her cell phone she dialed a number she hadn't in over a year.

"Veronica..." a gravelly voice answered.

"Logan, are you still sleeping?" She looked at the clock and saw that it was close to 10am.

"Late night last night," he replied.

"Me too. Listen, my dad just called and said not to go to the hospital. Have you heard anything more?" She fiddled with her mug.

"I think I have a voicemail from my mom but I'm not sure. Maybe the bastard died after surgery. Or a nurse smothered him with a pillow?"

"I don't know about that. My dad said you should come to my house. Your mom and him will be here in an hour to talk."

"Huh. That's weird. All right, I'll shower and come over. Have you eaten yet?"

"No. Come over and we'll figure something out." He agreed and they hung up their phones

Veronica went back to her bedroom and began straightening up. She threw her clothes from last night into the hamper and made her bed. She looked around her room and her eyes stopped on a picture of her, Duncan, Lilly, and Logan from two summers before. As much as she missed those days, she knew that they were in the rearview mirror now. Too much had happened to all of them to go back. She didn't know what would happen to her relationship with Duncan know that he knew she wasn't her sister and she knew that they had slept together. She also didn't know what would happen with Logan. Especially with the kiss they shared.

She sighed and sat at her computer desk, booting up her laptop. She opened her email and saw one from Mac, the computer genius she'd befriended in the whole purity test debacle. "_Hey V, I need your help. Call me when you get a chance today._" Short and sweet. Veronica was wondering what her friend needed help with a knock sounded at her front door. She looked out the window near the door and saw Logan wearing dark sunglasses and a holding a brown paper bag.

She opened the door. "Wow, that was quick."

"It took longer to figure out where to park in this building's parking lot. How do you live without your own driveway or garage? It's so very... quaint." He stepped into the living room and she saw him look over the bulk of their apartment.

"Funny. Welcome to our humble abode. Please tell me you have some sort pastry in there. Cheese danish would be preferred." He handed over the bag and walked swiftly down the hallway, unabashedly looking into her bedroom, her father's room, and the bathroom. He walked back into the kitchen while she took out plates to dish out the cheese danishes he brought. He sat down at the island counter and she raised the pot of coffee, looking at him inquiringly. He nodded and she poured him a cup.

"So your apartment is... nice. When did you guys move?"

"About a year ago. After my dad lost his job we couldn't afford the house anymore. Now this is home. It's nice that it's by the beach though." She took a bite from her danish and smiled at him. She could tell that he wasn't trying to be mean but was actually curious about the changes that have gone on in her life.

"That sucks that you had to move. You don't really think about all the changes that have to happen when the public turns on you and you lose your job."

Uneasy with the conversation, Veronica replied, "My dad stood by his convictions. And it's a good thing he did. Abel Koontz didn't kill Lilly. That's a fact."

Logan looked at her wide-eyed. "How do you know that?" _Shit, _she thought. _I shouldn't have said anything._

"No particular reason. So, how about those Sharks, eh?"

"Don't change the subject. What do you know?" Logan pierced her with his chocolate eyes. She could tell that he wasn't going to let this go.

"My dad lost his job because he knew the Kane's were covering something up. I don't know what but I will find out. I've done my own research on Koontz and he definitely didn't kill Lilly. He had no reason to."

"The newspaper said Kane Corporation stole a patent from him. Isn't that reason enough?" Logan asked.

"No, no. Anyone who works at Kane signs an agreement that anything they produce while working on the job belongs to the company. It's not a big secret that Kane wouldn't allow Koontz to keep the patent and it wasn't personal. That's business standard. No, Koontz had never met Lilly or any of Jake's family. He was a programmer, not a big wig in the company. My dad interviewed him and Koontz said specifically he was only miffed, not furious, about Kane's refusal to give him the patent. Why would a miffed guy murder a teenager he never met?"

"That doesn't prove he didn't do it. It just proves his motive wasn't as strong." Logan's hands were wrapped around his mug of coffee, his danish untouched.

Veronica got up, went into her bedroom and pulled down a box from the top of her bookshelf. She walked back into the room and set it in front of Logan. He looked up at her inquiringly and she took the lid off of the box, pulling out the picture of Lilly's bedroom.

"This is Lilly's bedroom, taken just hours after she died. See the shoes under her desk? They stuck out to me because she wore them just the day before. I drew a heart on them with a marker." Logan nodded. She pulled out another picture. "This is the evidence Lamb found on Koontz's houseboat two months after Lilly's murder. See the shoes?" Logan nodded again. "If he had killed Lilly, why would the shoes that were in her room the night she died be on his boat two months later? First off, did he go back and steal them? Second, wouldn't he have gotten rid of the evidence right after killing her? No. This evidence was planted by someone who wants Koontz to take the fall."

Logan looked back and forth at the two pictures before finally looking at Veronica's face. "Who?" he asked quietly.

"I don't know. There was discrepancies in both Jake and Celeste's testimony. I read my dad's transcripts of the interviews. They are hiding something and my dad lost his job before he could figure it out."

Logan jumped up from the table and shoved his fingers through his hair. "You don't actually believe one of them killed their daughter, do you?"

"Wouldn't be the first time they reacted when threatened..." she murmured under her breath. Also standing up, she rested her hands on the counter and calmly said, "No. I don't think they killed her. Honestly, I don't think they really even know what happened. I think they are covering it up and I plan to find out why."

"Why you? Why not just turn this information over to Lamb and let him deal with it?"

"Lilly was my best friend. I need to avenge her, for lack of a better term. Plus Lamb hates me. He didn't listen to me when I reported my rape and he has always -"

"He did WHAT?" Logan burst out.

"Oh. Uh, you know. After I woke up, I went to the station to report what happened to me. He didn't believe me." She looked away from Logan's face, afraid of what she'd see.

"For God's sake, Veronica. On top of an already shitty situation, you had to deal with that too? What did you do then?" Logan saw red but tried to clear the haze, needing to know what happened to her.

"I chopped off my hair, threw away my cutesy cardigans, and grew a backbone."

Logan moved quickly around the kitchen island and pulled her in close to his chest. She resisted for a moment before relaxing, resting her forehead against him. "Dammit Veronica. I can't stand that this happened to you." She didn't say anything and he tightened his grip on her. "You've been holding this in for too long, relying only on yourself. I'm here for you now."

He tilted her chin up with one finger and stared into her eyes. She looked back, eyes filled with emotion. She knew she should hold herself back from him but she had a sudden urge to share her burdens. Especially with the guy who had been one of her closest friends.

He looked at her mouth and then back up at her eyes, seeking permission. She gave an imperceptible nod and he lowered his lips to hers. She clenched her hand around the chest of his shirt, urging herself closer to his body. He deepened the kiss, massaging her tongue with his. She sighed softly and his hands trailed up and down her back. They stayed together for a long while, oblivious to the world around them. At that moment, he knew that he'd do anything to earn her back. He broke away from her mouth and kissed down her jaw. He whispered in her ear, "Veronica. I want to be there for you. Be more than your friend... be someone you can lean on and trust. I'm so sorry, Ronnie." He kissed her neck and she let out a shuddering breath when he pulled away to look at her again.

"I knew why you did it, Logan. Why you lashed out and pushed me away. You were hurting too." He looked ashamed at the reminder of how awful her year had been because of him. "I don't blame you though. I gave you back as good as I got." He gave a small smile. "I don't... I don't know how quickly I can be the girlfriend you expect, but I'm willing to try if you are."

He smiled brightly, his face alight with joy. "Oh Veronica, I don't expect anything. Being with you in any capacity is more than I deserve." Rather than responding, Veronica reached up on her toes and kissed his mouth. They both sank into the kiss, clutching each other tightly.

The front door opened and Keith and Lynn walked into the apartment. They both looked wide-eyed and open-mouthed at the two kissing teenagers who still hadn't noticed their presence. Keith cleared his throat and said, "Hi honey. So, this is new."


	3. Chapter 3

**Note: **I don't own Veronica Mars. Just a big fan.

* * *

At the sound of her father's voice, Veronica quickly backed up from the boy she had kissed. She gave Logan a small wry smile and looked at her dad and Lynn standing by the front door. Lynn was smiling but Veronica could see waves of tension rolling off of her. Keith smiled but it didn't quite reach his eyes. "Hi," Veronica breathed out.

"Hello you two. I think we need to talk about whatever this was, but now we have bigger fish to fry," Keith replied. He gently took Lynn by the elbow and led her to the couch. He looked at the two teenagers and nodded his head to the couch's direction, motioning for them to sit down. Logan sat next to his mom, Veronica in the arm-chair and her dad perched on the coffee table.

Logan looked between his mom and Keith and asked, "What's going on?" Lynn looked at Keith and he nodded gently at her.

"Honey, I'm leaving your father." Logan's jaw dropped before he composed himself, chuckling sardonically.

"Yeah, like he'd let that happen." He glanced at Veronica, mindful of the huge burden he had confessed to her last night.

Keith blew out a breath. "We just got back from the sheriff's station. You and your mom now have a restraining order against Aaron. Your mom's lawyer is going to file the legal separation paperwork on Monday but for now, Aaron cannot live in the same house as you two. When he's released from the hospital, he'll have to go somewhere else."

"What makes you think he'll stay away? The restraining order won't stop him. He'll just pay off whoever to get the violation charges dropped." Logan raked his hands through his hair and Veronica put her hand gently on his forearm. She was silent but he could feel the tension leaving his body minutely with her calming touch.

Lynn finally spoke. "We're leaving too. I put a deposit down on house not far from here. It has a security gate and guards around 24 hours a day. Keith is going to get us some security for the house too. At least until things calm down. Your father... didn't take the news well."

"I'll just bet he didn't," Logan murmured sarcastically. He looked up at Keith and asked, "Why are you helping us?"

Keith watched the boy's face. He had suspected for a while that Aaron was abusive. Even when he was sheriff and could do something, Logan or Lynn had never reported the abuse. Now that he had found a way to help, he wanted them both to understand that Aaron was wrong. "No one deserves the way he treats you and your mom. You especially."

A moment of vulnerability flashed in Logan's eyes. Veronica tightened her grip on his forearm briefly, giving her dad an understanding smile. Keith could see the conversation getting awkward for Logan, so he brought the subject back to hand.

"The security guards will be at your new house in a few hours. You and your mom are going to back and pack whatever you need for the new few days. Aaron will be out of the hospital by Tuesday at the latest, so we're trying to get a moving company to come in today or tomorrow to get the rest of your things." Keith looked at Lynn and she nodded.

"I hope you're okay with this Logan. I don't necessarily want to take you from the home you've grown up in, but this will make it easier moving on." Logan didn't know what to say, so he kept quiet. "There's only two more days of school before Christmas vacation. While you're off we can go shopping for new furniture and make up your room any way you like it. Veronica can come with too if you want." Lynn gave Veronica a small smile.

Logan turned his body towards his mom and looked at her intensely for a few seconds. Just as Lynn was about to speak, Logan threw himself into her arms and hugged her tightly. Lynn gave a shuddering sob and ran her hand over his hair. Keith sat on the arm of Veronica's chair and put his arm around her shoulders, kissing her gently on the top of her head.

They watched the scene for a minute before hearing Logan clear his voice. "So we'd better be going if we're going to get everything done." He stood up and took his mom's hand, helping her stand. He looked at Keith and murmured, "Thank you for your help." He looked at Veronica and his heart tripped a beat. The last twenty-four hours have changed everything. He and Veronica went from enemy/sparring partners, to hearing her conversation with Duncan, to kissing, and now this. Although it was going to take some getting used to, he was ready to be a better man for her and for his mother. They needed him now like no one had ever needed him before. Saying their goodbyes, Logan and Lynn left the Mars' apartment.

Keith looked at his daughter. "So that was new. Right? I didn't miss a memo or anything about you seeing a new boy?"

She looked up shyly at her dad." Yes, it's new. We reconnected at the poker game and decided today to see where it goes."

"It's going to be a wild ride, honey. Especially in the next couple of days."

* * *

Veronica and Keith worked on things around the house for a few hours, each a little on edge waiting to hear how it went with the Echolls. Keith knew that Aaron wasn't going to let them go peacefully. Abusive men thrive on being in control and Aaron is definitely feeling out of control now.

During the bustle of the morning, Veronica nearly forgot that Mac had emailed her. She called Mac in the afternoon and found that she needed help investigating who was stealing money from her dad's work. If the person wasn't found, her dad would lose his job. Veronica asked her to get a list of all the employees and she'd start running background checks to weed out anything suspicious.

Nearing dinner time, Logan called Veronica to report that they had moved all the stuff they could into their new house. Both Keith and Veronica sighed in relief.

"It's only been a few hours, but I miss you," Logan said quietly.

"Isn't that strange? A week ago I bet you'd have eaten your own tongue before admitting you missed me."

"I've always missed you, Veronica," Logan avowed seriously. "I may have been a total asshole but I never stopped caring about you." She thought on that a moment, unsure of what to say.

"And then there was also the lusting after you…" Logan joked and Veronica laughed outright.

"Yes, the lusting. You totally dug my combat boots and ripped jeans," Veronica replied, rolling her eyes.

"That and so much more, Ms. Mars. You are so sexy," he insisted. Veronica blushed and cleared her throat.

"So what's the plan now? For you and your mom?"

"I guess the movers are coming in the morning with the rest of our stuff. We're going shopping after school, if you want to come with. I tried to get out of school but she's actually being a mother and making me go."

"You can't get by on good looks and fortune alone. You have to at least finish school," she chided playfully.

"I figured I'd be a stay at home husband, surfing all day and doing other fun things at night. Don't need college for that."

Feeling a bit uncomfortable with the conversation, Veronica cleared her throat and spoke, "My dad's giving me the week off from work before the holiday, so I can go with you guys."

"Perfect, this won't be as tortuous then. I'll pick you up for school in the morning." She thought of arguing that she could herself to school but she knew it was more practical to ride home with him. Suddenly, she was nervous about tomorrow morning.

"Are you sure that's a good idea?" she asked.

"Yes, why wouldn't it be?" Logan sounded bored.

"The whole school will know…"

"Good, let them know. I'm in this for the long haul, Veronica. I don't care what they think. I just want to be with you." Veronica was speechless. As the silence dragged on, Logan became nervous. "You want the same thing, don't you?"

"I… I'm just nervous. "

Incredulous, Logan fumed, "About what they'll say? I thought you were above that. You haven't cared the last year when people called you every name under the sun."

"You don't get it, do you? I did care. Too much. It hurt, Logan. I shut everyone out except for a select few because it hurt so much." Veronica's face was flushed now and her voice was tinged with anger and bitterness.

Logan was quiet, regret flowing through him. He knew there would be real challenges to work through if he wanted to have a relationship with Veronica. He didn't want to give her up, especially since he hadn't even really had her to begin with. He would, though, if that's what she wanted. "So where does that leave us?"

At the quiet remorse in his voice, Veronica's anger drained. "Let's just keep this to ourselves for a few days. After this past weekend, I'm not sure I could handle any more rocking the boat. Let's enjoy each other over Christmas break and see where it goes."

_She's not breaking up with me, but she wants to keep it a secret and see where it goes. Could be worse,_ Logan thought. "All right. We'll do it your way. For now. But I reserve the right to try to change your mind."

Relieved, Veronica agreed," I would expect nothing less from you. I'll drive myself and you can pick me up here after school to go shopping."

"Now that that's settled, what are you wearing?"

Veronica barked out a laugh. "Good bye Logan. See you tomorrow." She hung up the phone and realized she was smiling bigger than she had in months.

* * *

Veronica arrived at school the next day still humming the ever classic "Hooked on a Feeling" which had played on the radio. She had seen Logan's car in the parking lot but he wasn't nearby. She walked to her locker and began getting her things ready for the day. Now that finals were done, they were coasting for two days until Christmas break started. Lost in her own thoughts, she didn't notice someone coming up behind her until they put their hands over her eyes.

"I've killed men for less, you know," she remarked. She smiled and turned around to face her admirer. Her face fell when she saw Duncan. "Oh… hi there," she greeted him awkwardly.

"Good morning," he replied brightly, apparently oblivious to Veronica's discomfort. "I was thinking about our talk this weekend and think we should grab some coffee or something. I think we need to finish airing out what happened before we can move forward." He smiled cheerfully at her.

"Move forward as what?" she commanded.

Eyes widening, he stuttered, "You know how I feel about you…"

"I know what you've felt about me for the last year. You ignored me, let the other asshats make fun of me, shut me out when my best friend died, and took advantage of me when I clearly couldn't make any decisions for myself. How do you expect me to feel about you after all of that?" She was angry now, her arms crossed and her eyebrows raised. His mouth was open, trying to find the words to say, when Logan came up behind her and gently laid his hand on her shoulder. He looked down at her inquiringly and she gave him a tight smile.

Duncan took in the scene and huffed out an angry breath. "Is he why you won't give me another chance?"

Veronica shook her head. "No, you're the reason I can't give you another chance. Any trust I had in you has been destroyed. I don't even know if it can be repaired."

"Fine. We'll talk about this later." Duncan stalked away from the two and Veronica turned to face her locker, rearranging the books she needed for classes.

Logan was quiet for a few moments before asking, "Want to talk about it?"

"Not especially. He wants me back, I can't trust him." She zippered her backpack, hefting it onto her shoulders, and turned to face him.

"That's it? You don't have feelings for him?" Logan asked unsure.

"No, not anymore. Maybe I never really did. It doesn't matter though. Too much has happened and I'm a different person now."

"Yes, you are. And as much as I liked the old Veronica, I really, really like this new one." He smirked and looked at her mouth. "I really wish you'd let me kiss you right now."

"Don't rock the boat," she whispered. He nodded and the warning bell rang. They started down the hallway towards their classes.

"See you at lunch?" he asked.

"Can't. Have a case to work on." She turned into her first class and gave him a small smile. He waved his fingers at her and smiled back.

* * *

The morning passed quickly while Veronica's mind was churning over all that happened over the weekend and the case that Mac needed help with. She sat down next to Mac in the computer lab and looked over her shoulder at the computer screen. Without saying a word or taking her eyes off the screen, Mac pulled out a sheet of paper and slid it across the desk to Veronica. It was a listing of names, social security numbers, dates of birth, addresses, and phone numbers.

"Wow, you work quick. This is perfect." Veronica smiled proudly at her friend. Mac gave a small grunt and began typing furiously on her keyboard. "Whatcha working on, Mac-attack?"

"There's this guy who has been emailing me, saying he's my secret admirer. I'm trying to figure out who it is." Veronica gaped at Mac.

"A secret admirer? How 1980's. Did he send you a note asking you to check 'yes' or 'no' to being his girlfriend?"

"Not so much. He knows things about me. My favorite band, that I'm a vegetarian. He said I should dye the blue streak in my hair purple because it's my favorite color. Who would know these things?" She was still typing furiously, sparing an incredulous look at Veronica.

"I don't know. I only knew one of those three things. And we've been friends for like ever."

"We've been friends for a month."

"That's like forever in high school years," Veronica replied sarcastically. "Maybe he's a stalker."

"No, I don't think so. I'll figure it out. More importantly, I need to figure out who is framing my dad at work." She stopped her frantic typing and turned to look at Veronica. "My family has a nice life but we're not rich. I don't know what would happen if my dad lost his job."

Veronica nodded and laid her hand on Mac's. "Don't worry. You hired the best teenage Private Investigator around."

"You're the only teenage Priv –"

Veronica interrupted, "Semantics, my dear Watson. Let the investigating begin." She turned on the computer she was sitting at and logged into the PI website her father subscribed to. She quickly lost track of the world around her while she dug into each employee's background. She made it through half the list before the warning bell rang. She looked up at Mac who was reading a book.

"Did you figure out your admirer?" Veronica asked while shutting the computer down and standing up to leave.

"I put an IP address tracker on his email account," Mac said nonchalantly. Veronica nodded in admiration and left the room to go to her next class.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Thanks so much for all the kind reviews! This is the first story I've written and I'm having a blast with it. Season 1 AU is my favorite and I have so many ideas of where I want to take this.**

Note: I don't own Veronica Mars. Just a big fan.

* * *

Veronica's last class of the day was study hall and she used her charm to get a pass to the computer lab so she could work on Mac's problem. No one was in the lab so she put her MP3 player head phones in and began investigating the rest of the people on the list.

Two names stuck out. Jon Schultz and Jeff Kirkland were both divorced, owed child support, had credit card debt, and opportunity to steal money. Jon was a daytime manager who had worked at the store for three years. Jeff was the bookkeeper for the store. Veronica then researched Mac's father Sam and found an interesting medical settlement made out to him and his wife in the early 90's. Veronica jotted down some notes and realizing the school day had been over for nearly fifteen minutes, she shut down the computer and walked out to the parking lot towards her car.

She stopped short of her trusty LeBaron and frowned when she saw the front tire was deflated. Fortunately the '09ers had stopped slashing her tires, instead only removing the cap and letting the air escape. She had gotten very good at changing her tires. _Maybe I can go to school to be a mechanic,_ she thought wryly. It took her another fifteen minutes to change the tire and start on her way home. While she was driving, her cell phone rang and she let it go to voicemail. She parked in her apartment building's lot and made her way to her apartment. She leafed through the mail while she unlocked her door and entered.

"Where have you been?" a frustrated voice called out. Veronica jumped, startled that someone else was in the room. She knew her dad was at work and instinctively reached for the mace she kept on her keychain. It took her a few moments to figure out it was Logan sitting on her couch looking pissed off and worried. She relaxed enough to put the mace down but kept her defenses up.

"At school. Where have you been?" she asked while walking to the fridge to get a bottle of water.

"Here! Waiting for you!" he cried, standing up and crossing the room in three long steps.

"Here I am. Let me change real quick and we can go." She started towards her bedroom before he grabbed her arm and pulled her back towards him.

"Dammit Veronica. I was worried! You were late getting here and you didn't answer your cell phone." He ran his fingers roughly through his hair, his body exuding tension. She finally realized just how upset he was.

"I'm sorry Logan. I'm not used to anyone looking out for me or waiting for me. My dad does, obviously, but he works a lot and I'm usually on my own."

"We had plans, V. And I couldn't find you at school so I came here and couldn't find you here either."

"I know, I know. I got caught up on a project and didn't hear the bell ring. Then when I went to leave, I had a flat tire. I'm sorry." She really did feel bad but it was weird to know that someone else besides her dad and Wallace cared about her.

Logan stiffened. "Your tire was flat?"

"Yep. I'm getting good at changing tires. Thinking about going into the tire business." She squeezed his hand and made her way into her bedroom, pulling out a dresser drawer to find a new shirt. The one she was wearing now had grease and dirt on it and she wanted to look nice when they saw Lynn today. Logan followed her into her room and sat on her bed, watching her. She stood awkwardly for a moment, wondering if she should go into the bathroom to change or ask him to step out of the room. He seemed to sense her quandary and raised an eyebrow, a smirk playing on his lips. She shrugged and pulled her dirty top off, tossing it into the hamper, and putting the new one on. Logan gaped when he saw her pale green lace bra.

He coughed quietly to clear his throat. "Right, so. Your tire."

"Yes, my tire. Are you okay?"

"Perfectly wonderful. I'll talk to the guys; tell them to quit messing around with your stuff."

"Don't worry about it. I'm used to it." She grabbed a sweater from her closet and went to the mirror above her dresser. She fluffed her hair and added some colored lip gloss on her lips. Logan watched as she pursed her lips into the mirror. He came up behind her, wrapped his hands around her middle, and kissed her neck gently.

"I want to worry about it and I don't want you to be used to it. God, Veronica. You smell so good." He pressed his nose to her hair, inhaling her scent deeply. He grabbed her hips and flipped her around to face him, kissing under her ear and down her neck. She sighed in pleasure and rested her hands on his chest. She moved her head so he had more access and closed her eyes, enjoying the feel of his soft lips. "I missed you today," he whispered into her neck.

"Had a case to work on," she said breathlessly. Her fingers clutched his shirt as he sucked on a particularly sensitive spot. He continued his ministrations for a few more minutes before reluctantly pulling away, kissing her lightly on the lips.

"We should get going. I told my mom we'd meet her at the new house." Veronica shook herself out of a pleasure induced haze and nodded.

"Right, of course. Let me grab my bag and… hey, how did you get in my house?"

"Your dad let me in." She stopped at that and looked at him curiously. "Seriously. My mom had told him earlier today that we were going shopping right after school. He stopped home to let Backup out and I was already here. He needed to get back so he said I could wait inside. Nothing nefarious went down." She rolled her eyes.

"I guess I'll believe you this time." They made their way out of the apartment and down to his monstrosity of a car. Veronica was surprised when he opened her door for her and helped her step up into the SUV. He noticed her surprise and gave her a shy smile.

"I can be a gentleman. I just choose not to most of the time," he said while climbing into the driver's seat.

"What ever did I do to deserve such chivalrous treatment?" she asked playfully.

"Nothing yet, but I'm sure you'll make it up to me," he said with a naughty grin.

She laughed and pulled out her cell phone to text Mac: 'Got some solid leads on your dad's case. Will work on it more tonight.' Mac texted back almost immediately: 'You're a goddess among humans.' Veronica snickered again and put her phone back into her bag.

"Who were you texting?" Logan asked, curious and mildly jealous that someone else had made her laugh.

"Rico. I met him at the biker bar near the train tracks. Nice guy." She flashed him a wicked smile. He scowled and she snorted. "It was just Mac. I'm working on a case for her. Wanted to give her an update."

"What kind of case?" Logan knew that Veronica worked at her dad's PI firm and he had heard rumors that she solved cases at school.

"Someone is stealing money at her dad's work. He's getting framed for it. She gave me a list of employees and two of the guys look fishy. I was planning on doing some surveillance tonight and maybe tomorrow, see if I can spot them doing something suspicious."

"I'll go with you."

"You don't have to. It's going to be boring."

"I want to see you in your element. And I want to see how far you'll let me go in the backseat of your car." He wiggled his eyebrows and she rolled her eyes.

"Whatever floats your boat, Captain."

"My first pet name! If I'm Captain, you'll have to be Black Widow."

She stared hard at him. "What?"

"From the Avengers? Captain America, Black Widow. Ooh, we can get you some black leather to wear and some handguns, but maybe it's not a good idea to give you a weapon…" He glanced at her stony face and chuckled. He pulled into the driveway of his new house and saw his mom open the door. She held up a finger to signal she'd be right there.

"No leather. Or cutesy pet names. And you are such a geek." Veronica unbuckled her seatbelt and climbed into the backseat.

Logan looked inquiringly at her in the rearview mirror. "Testing out the backseat without me?"

"Yes. Very spacious."

Before Logan could answer, Lynn opened the passenger door and climbed into the SUV. She turned back to smile brightly at Veronica and gave her son a peck on the cheek. "Hello you two. Ready to get some shopping done?" The both agreed and Logan pulled out of the driveway, making his way to the first store.

* * *

Four hours later, they had shopped until they dropped. Almost literally. Veronica's stomach was growling so loud, Logan asked if she required medical assistance. They stopped for dinner at a little café near the beach. Veronica watched the interaction between Logan and his mom. She felt a small ache when she noticed that Lynn asked for water instead of wine with dinner. After Logan's confession that his mom drank instead of stopping Aaron's abuse, she was glad to see that Lynn was avoiding alcohol. Logically she knew that her mother being an alcoholic and leaving was not her fault. She still felt like her mom had purposely chosen not to get help or stop her addiction and she couldn't help but feel inadequate.

Over dinner, they all talked, laughed, and enjoyed each other's company. Veronica wasn't sure how much help she provided in the furniture stores but it was fun to pick out things she'd never be able to afford. They had picked out enough items to completely furnish their new house. Veronica was looking forward to helping decorate and getting things set up over Christmas break. After dinner, they dropped Lynn off at home and Logan accompanied Veronica into her apartment.

"So what's the plan for the stake out tonight? Should I have changed into all black clothes or something?" Logan asked while flopping down on her bed.

Veronica rolled her eyes. "I have the addresses of the two guys. We're going to drive by their house, park outside and take pictures of anything suspicious. This will be different than my other cases because I'm usually trying to get the money shot of a cheating spouse. I'm not really sure what I'll find tonight that's suspicious but it doesn't hurt to look around."

"If one of them is stealing money, we might see a new car they normally couldn't afford or maybe they gamble a lot."

"Good point. Let me just check my email and stuff real quick and we can head out." Veronica opened her laptop and Logan walked around the room, looking at her pictures and souvenirs. He turned when he heard Veronica make an odd sound and quickly stepped towards her when he saw her stricken face.

"What is it? Veronica baby, what happened?" She stared at the computer screen before suddenly standing up, pacing around the room. Logan looked down at the screen and saw the headline "WOMAN KILLED IN ACCIDENT IDENTIFIED." Logan's brow furrowed while he read the story, his eyes landing on the name Lianne Mars.


	5. Chapter 5

**Note: I don't own VM. Just a big fan.**

* * *

_My mother is dead_, she thought while she sat on the floor. She pulled her knees up to her chest and wrapped her arms around them. Her throat felt tight and her eyes burned, but no tears would come. Logan sat down next to her and put an arm around her shoulders, pulling her in close.

"I'm so sorry Veronica…" he whispered.

"Is it… is it so bad that I'm not exactly sorry?" Guilt coursed through her but she had said goodbye in her heart to her mother a long time ago. She knew that Lianne had left partly to keep Veronica safe from the Kanes but also because she couldn't handle living in Neptune with her family not at the top anymore. Instead of fighting for her family, she quit and turned to the bottle instead. Alcoholism is a disease but Veronica felt she could have fought harder to stay. The heroes are the ones that stay.

"I don't know what happened with you guys but no, it's not bad. I'd be happy if Aaron died." He kissed her hair gently and jumped slightly when he heard the front door open. Keith came into the apartment and saw them both sitting on the floor of Veronica's room.

"Hello daughter and daughter's boyfriend who is sitting way too close to her," Keith called out while removing his jacket and setting down his briefcase.

"Mr. Mars," Logan said hesitantly. Veronica didn't move or make a sound. Logan squeezed her arm gently and stood up to break the news. Keith looked puzzled when Logan came out of the room and shut the door quietly behind him.

"What's going on? Is Veronica okay?" Keith made to walk into his daughter's room. He stopped when Logan placed a hand on his arm.

"She read something that upset her. I'm not sure how to say this," Logan began. Keith realized how serious he was being and braced himself for the worst. "She saw a news article online about a woman who killed in a car accident last week in Arizona. The body had been unidentified until today. It was Mrs. Mars." Logan let out a long breath and stared down at the floor. Keith stood stunned. Long moments passed before Keith rushed into Veronica's room and gathered her up in his arms.

Logan stood in the kitchen, not wanting to intrude on this moment. He could hear Keith talking quietly and Veronica murmuring back. He grabbed the leash, hooked it on Backup's collar, and left the apartment for a quick walk. His mind raced over the news. He knew that Veronica's mom drank too much and he had heard rumors that she had moved out. He had even teased Veronica at school about it which now made him feel a fresh wave of shame. As he was walking back into the apartment's courtyard, he saw a dark SUV drive up slowly and park by Veronica's car. He hung back in the shadows to watch an African-American man quickly step out of the SUV, touch the bottom of the LeBaron's bumper, tap some screens on a cell phone, then get back into the SUV and drive off. Logan ran quickly to the apartment.

Veronica and Keith were sitting on the couch now and both looked up at him. "I just saw something weird. I'm not sure what to make of it," he started, breathless from the running and the panic. They both sat looking at him, waiting for him to continue. "I was walking Backup and saw a dark SUV pulled up by Veronica's car. A guy got out, put something on her bumper, then drove away."

Keith's face grew stony. "What did he look like? Could you tell?"

"He was a tall black guy, dressed nice. After he put the thing on her bumper, he pulled out a cell phone and was messing around on the screen. That lit up his face. I didn't see glasses or anything but his hair was short like a crew cut."

"Weidman…" Veronica whispered.

Keith turned suddenly to her. "What do you know about Clarence Weidman?" Veronica opened her mouth to speak but Keith's face paled and he held a hand up. He grabbed the nearest thing to write on, an envelope sitting on the coffee table, and wrote 'BUGS?' Veronica paled too and nodded. Logan looked between the two of them, totally confused. He started to speak but Veronica shook her head violently.

Keith walked into his bedroom and came back with a device that looked like a remote. He began sweeping the room then the rest of the apartment before a beeping noise sounded in Veronica's room. Her and Logan followed her dad into her room, watching while he took apart a panda figurine to find a bug inside. They all looked at each other silently before Keith threw the bug on the ground and smashed it with his foot. He continued sweeping the room and nodded in satisfaction when nothing else came up.

"What the hell is going on?" Logan burst out.

Veronica moved to her dresser and lifted out a large envelope from under her sweaters. She pulled the pictures out and showed them both. Logan's face blanched and Keith's turned red with anger when they saw Veronica in a rifle sight.

"Where did you get this?" Keith demanded.

Veronica took deep breath. "I found a key to safe deposit box mom had. These photos were in there. I figured out that it was Clarence Weidman from Kane Software who took them." Keith frowned. "I asked Jake Kane about it at Logan's Christmas party." Keith scowled at this. "He didn't have a clue about it. I think Celeste did it."

"Why would Duncan's mom threaten you?" Logan asked in bewilderment.

"She thinks Jake might be my father."

Silence. Keith and Logan stared at Veronica while she looked at the floor. She cleared her throat and reached over to grab the photo of her and her dad at the zoo. She took the photo out of the frame and pulled out a folded piece of paper. She wordlessly handed it to Keith.

He looked at the paper and his eyes filled with tears. "How? Why?" he asked quietly.

"Celeste told Duncan that we were siblings so he broke up with me. Except he never told me. I found out by reading his journal. I had a DNA test done so I knew for sure we weren't. I'm a Mars through and through." Keith pulled her into a big hug.

They held each other a bit longer before Keith pulled back and asked, "So why did Weidman put a tracker on your car?"

Logan's eyes opened wide. "A tracker? Like GPS?" Both Veronica and Keith nodded.

"I can only imagine what he's heard with that bug. He must be threatened by something."

"Do you think he heard us talking about your files on Lilly? About the shoes?" Logan asked.

"Probably. We were only right outside the room and no one else was here. It could have been quiet enough for him to hear." Veronica sighed. She was suddenly exhausted and leaned back into the couch.

"Logan, can you grab Veronica's laptop? I want to read this article about my wife." Keith asked. Logan went into her room and returned with the computer, setting it down on the table. Keith read the article with a blank expression. Logan sat on the couch and pulled Veronica close, stroking her arms softly. She leaned her head on his shoulder and closed her eyes.

"It looks true, honey. I'm going to call the police department where the accident happened in the morning. Right now, I'm going to go look at your car." He walked into his bedroom and came back out wearing a shoulder holster and 9mm Glock handgun. Logan gaped but Veronica was unaffected. Keith left the apartment.

"Your dad has a gun, eh?" She nodded. "That's a bit scary." She gave a small laugh.

"I just can't believe it, Logan," she whispered.

"I know, baby. It's harder to come to grips with stuff when they are totally unexpected." She nodded and he pressed a kiss to her head. "I was wondering though. Who sent you the article?"

"I put an alert on the search engine I use to find anything with my mom's name. I had sent out prepaid cell phones to anyone I could think she would go to, but I hadn't heard anything back. This was the first hit I've gotten on her since she left a year ago." Logan tightened his hold on her and breathed in her scent.

"This hasn't been your year, has it?" he asked softly.

"No, it hasn't. But it's looking up now." She reached up to give him a soft kiss. His heart warmed with affection for this tiny blonde who didn't let anything knock her down.

Keith came back into the apartment and looked at the two of them. "Verdict is in. It's a GPS tracker. What in the hell are the Kanes doing that they need to track my 17-year-old daughter?" he asked angrily.

"I don't know, daddy. Celeste hated Mom because she had an affair with Jake. Jake got you fired because you found holes in their testimony. And Weidman will do whatever they ask him to do."

"We're going to get to the bottom of this once and for all. I just can't believe they thought they'd get away with this." Keith paced the room, his fists clenched. He took a deep steadying breath and looked to Logan. "Thank you for your help tonight Logan. If you don't mind, I'd like Veronica at your house tomorrow after school while I'm at work. I don't want her here alone and you guys have security there."

"Of course Mr. Mars," he replied quickly.

"Please, call me Keith."

"No can do, sir. You're wearing a gun." Both Keith and Veronica laughed while Logan grinned. Their laughter was infectious and soon all three were laughing hard.

After calming down, Veronica said, "God that felt good to laugh. It's been such a shitty day." Everyone nodded and Logan stood up from the couch.

"I'm going to head home now. Let me know if there's anything more we can do."

"Oh! I forgot all about Mac. I just… can't deal with that tonight."

"Text me her number and I'll call her." Veronica raised an eyebrow but looked relieved. Logan kissed her on the brow and said goodnight before leaving the apartment.

He got to his car and saw the text with Mac's number. He dialed it and listened to it right while he pulled on his seatbelt and started the engine. Mac finally answered and Logan spoke, "Mac? It's Logan Echolls."

"Uhh… hi."

"Veronica asked me to call you."

"That's weird. What about?"

"Her and I were going to stake out some guys for your dad tonight but she got some bad news. She's hunkered down with her dad now but didn't want to leave you hanging."

It was silent for a few long moments before Mac said, "You were going with her?"

"Yeah. We're… hanging out again. I was curious about how she works and wanted to come along."

"I've seen her in action. It's pretty amazing." Logan smiled. _Yes, she is pretty amazing_, he thought. "What news did she get?"

"Oh. Uh… she found out her mom passed away. Car accident last week."

Mac gasped. "Oh my God. Is she okay?"

"They weren't, uh, close. She's taking it hard because it was unexpected. She hasn't talked to her in a long time."

"I can't even imagine that. My parents and I don't always mesh but I can't imagine them being gone." Mac sighed. "Okay. If you see her, tell her I'll stop by tomorrow after school."

"She's going to be at my house. You can come by there if you want."

Mac was quiet again. "So you really are hanging out again. Does Wallace know?"

"I'm not sure. Should it matter?"

"Dude is not your biggest fan, Logan. Last time you guys talked you were bashing in V's headlights." Shame lit Logan's cheeks red.

"Yeah. I remember," he said quietly.

"He loves Veronica though. If she's happy, he's happy. Don't make her unhappy." Logan could hear the warning in Mac's voice.

"I never want to again."

"Good. She's the best person I know." They said goodbye and Logan tossed his cell phone on the passenger seat.

His mind was churning over everything that had happened recently. His dad had been stabbed. Him and his mom had moved out. He'd found out why Duncan broke up with Veronica. She'd been raped at Shelley's party. Koontz didn't kill Lilly and the Kanes were covering something up. Celeste ran Veronica's mom out of town. Veronica's mom was dead. And Weidman bugged and put a tracker on Veronica. Was this real life or did he stumble into a mystery novel?

He pulled into his driveway and turned off the engine. There was one more day of school and then they'd be on break. Then he could spend as much time as possible with Veronica. After being a complete dick the last year, he wanted more than anything to be there for her now. He got out of the car and headed into the house. His mom was sitting on the couch reading a magazine and she smiled when she saw him.

"Hi sweetheart. How was the stake out?" she asked.

"We ended up not going. Mom, do you remember Veronica's mom Lianne?"

"Yes, it's been a while, but she was always so sweet."

"They found out tonight that she died. Last week, in a car accident in Arizona."

Lynn sat up, setting the magazine aside. "My God. Are they okay?"

"Shook up. I guess she left a year ago. They haven't talked to her since."

"That's horrible. Poor Veronica. This past year without a mother." Logan hadn't thought of that.

"Something else is going on too. Something with Keith's work. He asked if Veronica could come here tomorrow after school so she isn't alone."

"Of course, that's fine. She can help us decorate the Christmas tree."

"What Christmas tree?"

"The one I'm having delivered tomorrow. I'm so excited to finally decorate my own tree."

"We've never decorated one by ourselves before," Logan said skeptically.

"Yes, your father never let me. He said it was below our station in life." Lynn rolled her eyes.

"Well, that sounds... fun." Logan said awkwardly. The idea of decorating a tree had never crossed his mind. The staff always did that and it turned out looking perfect. One year, when he was probably 8 or 9, he ran by the tree and knocked an ornament off, shattering it. He got five belt whippings for that. Logan shuddered with the thought. "I'm exhausted from today though, so I'm going to bed." Lynn stood up and kissed his cheek before walking out of the room.

He went into his new bedroom and sat down on the bed. A room was a room but this one felt empty. He hoped that Veronica would help him decorate when their new stuff came in. He removed his shoes and set them in a perfect row by the closet out of habit. Aaron didn't like when things were out of order. He removed his clothes and threw them in the hamper. He went into the bathroom to get ready for bed when he heard his cell phone chirp with a new text message. He finished brushing his teeth and picked up his phone, crawling into bed.

'Thank you for tonight. I couldn't have handled it without you. XO Veronica' He texted her back and fell asleep with a smile on his face for the first time in long time.


	6. Chapter 6

Note: I don't own Veronica Mars. I'm just a big fan of the show.

* * *

Veronica woke the next morning with gritty eyes. She hadn't slept well and it took her only a few moments of being awake before remembering all that had happened yesterday. She had spent the rest of the night snuggling with her dad, wrapped in the comfort only unconditional love could bring. As much as she wanted to stay home curled up in bed, she knew staying busy at school would give her something else to focus on. She got dressed and made her way into the kitchen where her dad was seated at the island, talking on the phone. Quietly, she poured herself a cup of coffee and started on a piece of toast. After a few minutes, Keith thanked the caller and hung up. She looked inquiringly at him and he gave her a grim smile.

"That was the local police where your mom's accident happened. They gave me some more information, but I need to go out there to identify the body and fill out some paperwork." He sighed and shook his head.

"Did they say what caused the accident?"

"She had been drinking, honey. Her blood alcohol level was double the legal limit. She came up on a curve too quick and hit a tree. They think she died right away."

"That's good at least. When are you going out there?"

"Today, I think. It's at least a five-hour drive. I might need to spend the night. I'm going to call Mrs. Echolls to see if you could stay there if I can't get back. I'm sure she'll be fine with it, so you should probably pack a bag to bring with you to school."

"No problem. What are we going to do about my car?"

"I haven't really thought that far yet. I don't want you driving it so I'll take you to school today. I was going to see if Leo or Sacks could come down and sweep it for fingerprints. I doubt Weidman would be dumb enough to leave prints on it though." She nodded. "Aaron is supposed to be released from the hospital today or tomorrow. I want you to be really careful and vigilant of your surroundings if you go out. He is not happy with me getting involved and who knows what he'll do. I trust the security company at their new house but things could always go wrong." He looked at her seriously and she could see the love and worry in his eyes.

"I'll be safe," she said quietly. She'd normally make a sarcastic remark but her heart was still hurting. Keith kissed her forehead and started clearing up the kitchen.

"Go pack a bag and we'll head to school." Veronica went into her room and packed some clothes for the night, plus her laptop and camera. She didn't know if they'd stake out her two suspects tonight but she wanted to be ready in case.

They left the apartment shortly after and the drive to school was quiet. Both father and daughter's minds were busy with the past events and thinks that needed to be done now. She kissed his cheek when he pulled up to the building and told him to drive safe. He told her he loved her and he would call her later.

Logan was almost immediately at her side when she got out of her dad's car. He pulled her into a hug and she leaned her head on his chest, breathing in his cologne. She tried to remember why she cared so much yesterday about the other students knowing she was dating Logan. In the scheme of things, it just didn't matter what anyone else thought. Life was short and she wanted to treasure it.

"Hi," she whispered.

"Hi yourself," he whispered back.

They looked at each other for a long moment before Veronica leaned up and placed a gentle kiss on his lips. She could feel his surprise but smiled when he kissed her back. The kiss ended and she moved back, picking up her overnight back which had dropped on the ground. He looked at it inquiringly.

"My dad is going to Arizona to deal with the accident stuff. He might not be back tonight, so he was going to call your mom and see if I could spend the night."

"It'll be fine. I talked to her last night and she said she'd help in any way." Logan picked up the bag and moved towards his car to put it in the trunk. They walked into the school together and Logan made a quick stop at his locker before leading Veronica to hers. She was shuffling books from her locker when Wallace walked up and stopped short at the sight of Logan.

"Hey V," he said cautiously. She smiled at him, less bright than usual. Wallace instantly became alert and focused on Logan. "What did you do?"

Logan looked affronted and began to say something caustic back before he saw Veronica shake her head.

"Wallace, he didn't do anything bad. He's my boyfriend." She put a hand on his arm and squeezed gently.

"Then why are you sad?" he asked, confused.

Veronica's eyes dimmed and she looked down at the floor. Logan wanted to alleviate some of the pain so he spoke quietly, "She found out last night her mom died." Wallace's eyes widened and he pulled Veronica into a big hug.

"I'm so sorry Veronica," he said softly. She nodded and muffled a 'thank you' before disentangling herself. All three stood around a bit awkwardly until the warning bell rang for class. Wallace cleared his throat. "I think we need to talk about this later but if you're happy V, I'm happy." Veronica beamed at her friend and Logan gave an internal sigh of relief. He didn't want to be on the bad side of a best friend. Logan walked Veronica to her first class and kissed her lips softly, murmuring that he'd see her at lunch.

* * *

Veronica got to the quad first and automatically sat at her usual table. She didn't feel like eating school food and hadn't thought to pack a lunch, so she pulled out a novel she'd been reading. She knew she should be thinking about Mac's dad's problems but she wanted to escape from her world for just a little while. Logan came up a few minutes later and straddled the bench she sat on. Veronica acknowledged him with a small smile but continued reading. He watched her, held by the way her eyes danced across the page and the way she twirled a shining lock of hair around her finger. He was content to sit next to her in this comfortable silence. He jerked up a few moments later when he heard someone yell his name loudly from across the quad. Logan sighed when he realized Dick was making his way to their table. Dick was a good friend but he was anxious to keep Veronica calm today and calm isn't usually Dick's forte.

Dick sat down with a thud across from them and gave Logan a 'what the hell?' look. "What's up, dude?"

"Dick," Logan acknowledged him with a nod.

"Soooo…" Dick trailed off, looking between Veronica, who was still reading, and Logan.

Logan sighed, resigned. "Veronica and I are dating. She's had a rough week so be nice. And order us a pizza. I'm hungry." He looked up to see Mac hesitantly coming over. Just as she was in hearing distance, Logan added, "And a second pizza with no meat. Mac's a vegetarian." Mac's eyebrows flew up and Dick nodded while pulling out his cell phone.

Mac sat down cautiously next to Veronica and touched her hand gently to her shoulder. She murmured a quiet "I'm sorry" and looked away when she saw Veronica's eyes tear up. Dick watched the interaction and started to ask what happened when Duncan came up behind Logan, hands clenched on his hips. Logan sighed again.

"Duncan," he nodded in his best friend's direction.

"What the hell is this?" Duncan gestured between Veronica and Logan. Veronica didn't look up but Mac noticed her mouth tighten.

"We can talk about this later. For now, my girlfriend and I are waiting to eat lunch with our friends," Logan replied, appearing bored.

"Girlfriend?" Duncan spat out. He rounded on Veronica and none too gently shoved her shoulder. Logan became furious but Veronica shook her head at him and turned around to face Duncan. His mouth was set in an angry line with two bright spots of color on his cheek. "You said we'd talk about our relationship and now you're dating him? Logan Echolls, of all people? You know he –"

"That's enough," Veronica said harshly. Duncan continued staring at her. _It looks like steam is going to come out of his ears,_ she thought. She chucked softly to herself, which made Duncan even more upset.

"You chose him over me? After all we've been through, we're meant to –"

Veronica stood up and faced him square on, "I said that's enough." She didn't raise her voice but it rang with an authority that kept a furious Logan in his seat. "You lost all right to question me over a year ago. Now, please leave." Duncan looked dumbfounded that she would dismiss him so callously.

"Come on Veronica. You can't expect me to believe your dad would let you date him." Duncan just wouldn't quit. Veronica knew that he thought he still had a chance with her. Not only did the last year prove to her that she wasn't ever really in love with him, she also knew that they were too different to be anything but friends. Friendship, at this point, was also far off based on how well he was doing to piss her off.

"My dad has other things to worry about right now," she replied coolly.

"What about your mom? She never liked him." Duncan was looking smug and Veronica's face lost all of its color. She sat down on the bench heavily and Logan pulled her back into his side. He and Mac looked at Duncan with unrestrained hostility.

Mac spoke first. "You need to leave now."

Duncan looked at her like he just noticed she was there. "Who are you again?"

"Veronica's friend. You really need to leave now." Dick watched the scene and slowly made his way to stand next to Mac. He didn't know what was going on but he had Logan's back and it was clear that Mac did also.

Veronica finally found her mental footing again and looked up at Duncan, masking her face. "My mother is dead. She died in a car accident hundreds of miles away because your mother ran her out of town. So no, I'm pretty sure my mom doesn't care if I'm dating Logan."

Duncan's mouth dropped open. "Does my dad know?"

Fury filled Veronica. Logan could feel her tiny body tense with rage. "How the fuck should I know?" she spat at her ex-boyfriend. Before he could say anything more, the pizza delivery man showed up and Dick pulled out his wallet to pay. The tension was broken and Veronica turned around to face the table. No one noticed Duncan slinking away.

They all began eating their pizza in awkward silence before Dick said, "You're hot when you're pissed, Ronnie." She rolled her eyes and they all laughed, content to pretend it was a normal day and they were normal teenagers.

* * *

At the end of the school day, Veronica stopped by her locker to get the books she'd need to study over break. Mac found her and gently asked about the investigation. Veronica gave her the name of the two employees she thought were suspicious and promised to do some sleuthing either that night or the next. Mac was going to delve a little deeper into each employee's computer history on her own. Veronica asked about the IP tracker on her secret admirer but Mac told her she'd tell her later.

Veronica left the building and found Logan and Dick standing by his car. They were talking intently, which surprised Veronica, and she hesitated before walking up to them. Logan looked up to see her and his face lit into a bright smile.

"Are you ready to head out?" he asked. She nodded and shifted her bag on her shoulder, reaching inside it to grab her cell phone. She had a voicemail from her dad.

Logan waved goodbye to Dick and helped Veronica up into his SUV. She listened to the voicemail of her dad saying she was to spend the night at the Echolls and he would pick her up tomorrow when he was back from Arizona. She closed the phone and put it back in her bag. While Logan was driving out of the parking lot, Veronica asked, "What were you and Dick talking about?" He froze for a moment and gave her a mischievous smile.

"Dick has a crush. I, being the ultimate ladies magnet, decided to give him some pointers."

She raised an eyebrow. "I didn't think Dick needed help picking up girls."

"This isn't just any girl. She's a special breed."

Veronica thought that over for a moment before the lightning bulb went off. She whipped her head to look at Logan. He laughed at her expression and she narrowed her eyes. "Why do you think you have special tricks for picking up girls like Mac?"

"I landed you, didn't I?" He said and winked at her.

"I'm not sure if that's a compliment or an insult."

"Definitely a compliment, babe. Men around the world know how lucky they are to land a smart, beautiful, loyal, and fierce woman like you." Veronica's heart melted and she leaned over the console to give him a kiss on the cheek.

After a few moments of letting his praise warm her, she asked, "How long has he liked her?"

"Since the purity test debacle. He knew she'd never talk to him at school so he's been talking to her anonymously online. She's tried hacking into his computer to figure out his identity but if there's one thing Big Dick Casablancas knows it's home network security."

"So Mac doesn't know her admirer is Dick?"

"I can't be sure, but it didn't look like it today, right?" Veronica shook her head. "I've known for a few weeks. This is the first time they've been together in person."

Veronica thought for a moment and gasped. He looked at her, startled. "You knew she was a vegetarian! I didn't even think of it then, but you got a separate pizza for her!" He laughed and nodded.

"Yeah, Dick won't shut up about her. Apparently she's the next best thing since sliced bread. Of course, I disagree. You're way better." He waggled his eyebrows at her.

She laughed and looked out the window. "Thank you." He nodded at her in concession. She looked back to his face and repeated, "Really, thank you. I wouldn't want to go through this all alone." He reached over and took her hand, bringing it up to his mouth to press a kiss on her palm.

"You aren't alone," he whispered and she nodded.


	7. Chapter 7

Note: I don't own Veronica Mars. Just a big fan. Also, I appreciate the spotlight from VM Fic Recs. I'm having so much fun writing this and I'm glad you guys like it too!

* * *

Logan drove through the gated community to the new house he shared with his mom, holding his girlfriend's hand. He was stopped by the security guards before entering and had to verify his identity. Before his mom left his dad, he would have been irritated by being stopped. Didn't everyone know who he was? Now, he valued the extra security. He could take care of himself; he had been for years. But he was afraid of what Aaron would do to his mom if he could get a hold of her.

They pulled into the driveway just as a delivery truck was leaving. Entering the house was like entering chaos. Men were moving around furniture, women were placing accent pieces around the rooms, and Christmas music was being played loud through built-in speakers in the ceiling. Logan called out for his mom and she glided into the foyer like the queen in her domain.

"Hello you two!" Lynn smiled and gave them each a hug. Veronica stiffened a bit, unused to open displays of affection from anyone but her dad. Her mom hadn't hugged her in almost two years and the contrast was startling.

Logan was more affected by his mom's obvious happiness. He hadn't seen her this way in a long, long time. "The furniture came quick. We just ordered it yesterday," Logan said while putting his backpack and Veronica's overnight bag down by the stairs.

"Yes but I made a few phone calls and got them to rush the delivery after I knew Veronica would be staying. We can't have her staying here without furniture!" Lynn swept out of the room and the two teenagers followed. Veronica wondered what Lynn would think if she knew how long she slept on the sleeper sofa in their apartment before they could afford to buy her a new bed. Still, Lynn's obvious fussing made her smile and melted a bit of her grief.

They entered the kitchen and Logan grabbed them each a bottle of water while Lynn talked to a woman holding a large vase filled with huge fake flowers. Logan began making funny faces at Veronica and she laughed.

Lynn turned and smile at the sound of Veronica's laughter. The woman left the room and Lynn grabbed Logan's hand and began to dance in the kitchen to 'Jingle Bell Rock.' Veronica laughed again at the two of them and shook her head with a smile when Logan tried to get her to join. They danced through the end of the song and Logan sauntered up to Veronica before tickling her ribs.

"Never give up, never surrender!" Veronica said between deep belly laughs while Logan continued to tickle her.

"Come on, forfeit!" Logan picked Veronica up and sat her on the kitchen's island counter. His tickling fingers finally stopped just as he placed his lips on hers. She gently shoved him away and looked around the room for Lynn. "She went out to pick up some linens and dinner. We have the house to ourselves," he said huskily, bending down to kiss her neck. She moaned softly and moved her head to give him better access. He placed big openmouthed kisses over her shoulder and neck before sucking gently below her ear. Her hands tightened on his shirt, drawing him in closer.

"You have magic lips, Mr. Echolls," Veronica said breathlessly.

"All the better to kiss you with, Miss Mars," he replied between nibbling on her earlobe and kissing her jaw. "Want to see my room?" He stepped back to look at her face. She knew this question was asking more about her comfort with their make out session than a tour of the house. She was nervous about Logan's obvious sexuality but she trusted him to stop when it became too must for her. She nodded and he grabbed her hand, pulling her up the stairs.

Logan threw the door open and pushed her onto his bed. She landed in the middle and laughed up at him. He stood like a caveman, hands on his hips, looking down at his prize. He launched himself onto the bed, landing next to her, and pulled her onto his chest. His eyes gentled and he kissed her lips sweetly. "I know you aren't ready to go much further and I want you to know I'll wait forever for you. I just want to feel close to you," he murmured against her lips. She wanted the same, to feel close to someone and lean on them. She had relied on herself for so long that it such a relief to have someone to share with.

She ran her fingers through his hair and gazed down at him. "Let's play a game. Two truths and a lie." Logan quirked an eyebrow and she laughed. "Come on, it'll be fun. I'll go first." She tapped a finger to her lips and looked thoughtful. "My favorite animal is a unicorn. I've had a crush on you since I was 12. I loved the Twilight books."

Logan slipped his hand under her shirt and rubbed circles on the base of her spine. "I know you love unicorns." She nodded and leaned down to kiss his lips quickly. "I really can't see you liking Twilight. I mean, I read them, but they just don't seem to be your cup of tea." Veronica laughed again and shook her head. "So then it's true that you've had a crush on me." She smirked and he leaned up to capture her mouth with his, running his tongue over her lips and massaging hers when her mouth parted. He deepened the kiss and smiled when she moaned. He flipped them over so Veronica was on her back and he was on his side, perched over her. He broke this kiss and said, "My turn. I love historical romance novels. I hate peas. I've thought about kissing you almost every day since you and Duncan broke up."

Veronica looked up at him and giggled. "You love peas. We used to sneak cans into your locker." Logan nodded. "I can't imagine you reading historical romances."

"Wrong, I love that crap. Especially ones in the early 1800's when the duke falls in love with his governess. So romantic," he sighed. Veronica's eyes narrowed. "So, I lied. It's wasn't _almost_ every day that I thought of kissing you." He leaned down and kissed her jaw. "It was every single day, every time I saw you. I had to be a jerk to keep you away from me because I couldn't keep away on my own." Veronica's breath hitched and her eyes moistened, much to her dismay. He kissed her lips sweetly and rolled onto his back.

She sat up on her elbows and looked at him. "Why did you have to stay away?"

He sighed and played with the sleeve of her shirt. "Lilly and Duncan knew I liked you. Lilly was okay with it, I think, but Duncan asked me to stay away. Right after he broke up with you," she scoffed and rolled her eyes, "I know, he didn't actually tell you he broke up with you. That was shitty on his part. Anyways, right after, he told me he needed me to help keep you away. He wasn't strong enough to do it on his own. I thought that was weird but it makes sense now. He still wanted you and he couldn't have you. I felt the same way. I wanted you but thought I couldn't have you, with your love for Duncan and mine for Lilly hanging over our heads."

Veronica eased back down, pacified by his answer. "You were never tempted to make a move on me?"

"Oh, plenty of times. After I smashed your headlights, I wanted to grab you and kiss you until your lips were swollen." He rolled to his side to face her again and ran his finger over her lips. "I also need to be honest about something. At Shelley's party, I didn't know you were drugged, obviously. I just thought you were drunk." She nodded looked into his earnest face. "We used you for a salt lick. Took shots off you and stuff." She blinked rapidly, trying to figure out what he was saying. "I thought you were too drunk to remember, but I kissed you then. You kissed me back. Duncan interrupted us and he took you away. I was so mad or maybe jealous, I left shortly after with someone else."

Veronica chewed on her lip while she thought. After a long moment, she said bluntly, "So the kiss in your pool house wasn't our first kiss." He looked at her tenderly as he shook his head, she felt any anger she had at being used melt away. "But it was such a great first kiss. Of all of my first kisses," he scowled at the mention of her kissing anyone else, "it was the best first kiss a girl could ask for. Now that I know it wasn't really the first…" she trailed off.

Logan looked thoughtfully at her and smiled. "Hi, I'm Logan Echolls. What's your name?" Her brow furrowed and she gazed at him questioningly. "We're obviously just meeting for the first time and definitely have not kissed yet."

She laughed, her nose wrinkling at his silliness. "I'm Veronica Mars. It's nice to meet you."

"Yes, very nice to meet you. Now that we've met properly, it's time for our first kiss." She chewed on her lip, pretending to think it over before finally nodding. He leaned down and brushed his lips against hers. The warmth of his lips sent a jolt through Veronica and her mouth parted, allowing his tongue entry. She brought her arms up to wrap around his neck while he maneuvered his body between her open thighs. It all felt very erotic but perfectly right, she thought, while Logan deepened the kiss. His hand grazed her side, ribs, and underneath her breast while he savored her sweet taste. They kissed for what felt like hours before Logan broke off and gazed down at her with labored breath. "How was that?"

She smiled. "Great. A solid 10 all around. Why did you stop?" She leaned up to kiss him again and he moaned.

"Veronica…" He broke the kiss again and rested his forehead on hers. She began to squirm, trying to draw his lips back to hers, when he pressed his hips and erection into her belly. She gasped softly. "We need to stop unless you are ready for more." She shook her head and he kissed her forehead gently before rolling off of her and onto his back. He drew her to his side and she rested her head on his chest.

"You're good at that," she said as she snuggled in closer to him.

"All my skills are at your disposal now, mi'lady." She laughed and closed her eyes.

"This feels so nice." He nodded and closed his eyes too, trying to keep his mind off of his raging erection. Soon, Veronica's breathing evened out and she slept soundly for the first time since she found out about her mother's death.

* * *

Veronica woke alone nearly an hour later. The Christmas music was still playing, albeit more quietly than before. She found her way to the bathroom and then headed downstairs towards the scent of food. She found Logan and Lynn sitting at a cozy kitchen table, heads bent over a photo album. She cleared her throat, unsure if she should interrupt. Lynn smiled and waved her over.

"We're looking at photos of me growing up. Have a seat and I'll serve up dinner," Lynn said enthusiastically before making her way through the kitchen to pull out warming dishes and plates.

"Your mom is very... chipper," Veronica whispered to Logan.

He laughed and whispered back, "I know! I haven't seen her like this in forever." He looked back at his mom thoughtfully and smiled. "I love it."

Lynn started putting dish after dish on the table and told the teenagers to dig in. Veronica gaped at the smorgasbord of food. Turkey, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, rolls, green bean casserole, cranberry sauce, and more filled up the table.

"It's like Thanksgiving dinner," Veronica said quietly. She remembered her Thanksgiving festivities with her dad. She cooked lasagna, one of the few dishes she'd mastered, and they watched a movie before he went to work and she read a book. It had been kind of lonely.

"Exactly! We were out-of-town for Thanksgiving so we didn't get to have a family dinner. I thought we could make up for it tonight. I just love this caterer," Lynn said cheerfully.

Logan and Veronica looked at each other and decided to dig in. Veronica filled her plate to the brim and ate earnestly. She hadn't had much of an appetite all day and was feeling ravenous. Each bite made her feel better, physically and emotionally. She missed her dad terribly and this whole evening could only have been better if he was with them. Conversation flowed and they all laughed until their sides hurt. Veronica forgot for a little while that she was sad.

After dinner, she and Logan cleaned up the kitchen, shooing Lynn into the living room to get started on the Christmas tree. They washed the dishes in comfortable silence and then joined Lynn. She had Christmas decorations spread out everywhere and a large tree already strung with lights near the fireplace. Lynn turned the music back on and they all began placing ornaments and ribbon on the tree. After lots of laughter and a game of Rock Paper Scissors, Logan placed the star on the top of the tree and they stood back to look at their creation.

"That is one God awful tree," Logan said joyfully. Veronica nodded and Lynn laughed.

"It is, isn't it? It looks truly atrocious. I LOVE IT!" She clapped her hands pulled them both into a big hug. Veronica's cell phone rang and she extricated herself to answer it. Her dad's name appeared on the screen.

"Hey dad," she answered, walking out of the room and into the kitchen.

"Hi sweetheart. So, I've got some news." He sounded tired and she missed him so much in that moment.

"Uh oh. Nothing good ever comes out of that phrase." She chewed on her lip. Logan entered the room and sat on the counter, playing on his cell phone. She appreciated that he wanted to be near her but was still giving her privacy.

"Well. I met with the chief of police. The car they found was registered to your mom but there was no purse or identification in the car. Then I went to the coroner to identify her body." He was quiet for a long moment.

"And? Was it bad? I wish I would have come with you."

"It was bad. But it wasn't her. The body wasn't your mom's, Veronica. She isn't dead."

Veronica's mouth fell open and she stared at Logan. He stared back, trying to figure out what was going on.

Keith continued, "Right, so she isn't dead. But I did find her."

Veronica gasped. "You what? What happened?" Logan was almost frantic now, trying to determine what happened. He put his hand on her shoulder and she shook her head at him, waiting to hear what her dad said.

"I stopped to get some coffee after leaving the morgue and she came up to me, in a disguise. I almost didn't recognize her. She said she had seen the article and thought she should come forward."

"What about the car? Why was someone else driving it?" Veronica asked.

"She doesn't really remember. She got drunk and woke up to find her car gone. I figure it was stolen." He yawned and she urged him to continue. "Anyways, we talked. I told her I knew about the Kanes forcing her out-of-town. I also told her I knew about the paternity issue. She broke down crying. She needs real help, honey."

"So she isn't coming home." Veronica said flatly. Logan's eyebrows flew up.

"No, she isn't. I'm so sorry sweetheart. We're going to use this accident to get her away. I'm not going to correct the coroner. He's going to pronounce your mom deceased. She is going to go far away and restart her life." He sighed and she could hear the fatigue in his voice.

"Without us."

"She loves you very much, Veronica. Never forget that."

"Not enough to fight for your marriage. For her daughter."

"Our marriage was over a long time ago," he said firmly. "She loves you but she isn't well enough to be your mom. It isn't anything you did or didn't do. She's making this choice on her own."

Veronica shook her head and sagged back into Logan's arms. He was still confused but gently stroked her hair and rubbed her neck. "All right. I guess this is another hurdle we'll have to get through," she said resigned.

"I'll be home tomorrow and we'll talk more about it. For now, I'm beat. I'm going to get some sleep then deal with the police in the morning and be home to you in the afternoon. I love you, Veronica. More than you can ever know."

"I love you too, daddy." The call ended and she looked at Logan, emotions bubbling to the surface.

"What happened?" he asked quietly.

"She didn't die in that accident. Another woman did. But she's going to pretend like it is her so she can start a new life. Without us." She began to cry and Logan folded her into his arms, unsure what to say.


	8. Chapter 8

Note: I don't own VM. Just a big fan.

* * *

Veronica cried for a few more minutes before pulling herself together. "That's over. Now it's time to move forward."

Logan eyed her warily, unsure where her tenacity was coming from. "Okay. What does that entail?"

"A stake out," she said firmly.

He gawked at her. "Really?" She nodded decisively and he smiled. "I'm game. What do we need?"

"Usually I'd take my car, but we can't. We also can't take yours. It sticks out too much. Let me call around and see if I can find one to borrow." She opened up her cell phone and started thinking of who she could call. Wallace didn't have a car and Mac's was bright blue. That might stand out too much. She tapped her lips with her fingers while she thought.

Logan watched her, smiling. "Veronica, we have more than one car. I'm sure my mom would let us use her BMW."

"Oh good. I'll grab my laptop and camera while you ask her." She left the room before waiting for his answer. Apparently her new resolve to get over this mother issue made her single-minded.

Lynn agreed and gave Logan her keys. He went up to his room to get a sweatshirt and met Veronica in the foyer. She had her messenger bag slung across her body and was studying a piece of paper. She looked up when he approached and held her hands out for the keys.

"Nope. I'm driving. Where to first?" He swept past her and out the front door before she could argue. He held the passenger door open for her and climbed into the BMW, banging his knees on the steering wheel. Cursing under his breath, he adjusted the seat and got comfortable. He hadn't driven his mom's car yet and it was very nice. He still preferred his SUV though.

Veronica snapped her seat belt and turned on the dome light so she could read the paper again. "I don't know if we'll be able to get photos of both of them tonight. Let's start with Jon Schultz. He's the daytime manager and lives near my old house." She gave Logan the address, which he punched into the built-in GPS, and pulled out of the driveway.

As they drove through the dark, Logan watched Veronica out of the corner of his eye. He was a little unnerved with how she was handling the situation with her mom. _What a rollercoaster_. First she's abandoned by her alcoholic mom then to find out she's dead then she's not really dead but she's never coming home. Veronica was tough and she'd get past it, but Logan thought she'd push all of her emotions way down so that she didn't have to deal with them. He knew from experience that denying pain and grief wasn't healthy.

They finally reached Schultz's house and Veronica instructed him to park a few houses down so she could get a good shot. "Do you see anything suspicious?" she asked.

"Not really. A manager at a sports store probably doesn't make a ton of money. He lives in a small house and drives a used Ford Focus. What can you see in the house?"

"Older television, hand-me-down furniture, burgundy carpets." She snapped some photos of what she could see through the living room window. The lights were on in the house but she hadn't seen Schultz yet. She noticed the garbage can sitting by the curb, conveniently in the shadows of a large tree. "Come on, let's go sleuth." She opened the car door and slid out before he could say anything. Thrilled, he got out and followed.

Veronica opened the garbage can and began rooting through the top bag. Logan gaped at her and asked, "Where did you get the latex gloves?"

"Standard issue PI gear," she said dismissively. "Old Navy catalog, old cable bill, coupon for that new Mexican restaurant. Ooh, I'm taking that one." Logan rolled his eyes. She dug around a little more and didn't find anything more interesting. "Let's sneak around the side and see if we can get a better picture of the inside."

They moved to the side of the house to look into the kitchen. Schultz was washing dishes in a white sink with his back facing them. The laminate cabinets were painted a crisp white but the countertops had seen better days. A small kitchen table was pushed up against the wall with mail spread out on its surface. They snuck down some more and looked into a small bedroom with two twin sized beds and a toy box. The room was clean but unoccupied. The next room was obviously Schultz's bedroom, with a worn quilt on the made bed and mismatched dresser and night stands. She took a few more pictures and made her way to the garage.

The backyard had a worn swing-set and a nice flower patch along the back fence. They made their way to the side of the garage and Veronica scowled when she found the door unlocked. She eyed the windows but was too short. She thrust her camera in Logan's hands and said, "Take some pictures through the window. See if there's any really expensive tools or anything suspicious. I don't think we're going to find anything though."

Logan stood on his the tips of his toes and looked into the window of the garage. "I can't see anything. It's too dark. I'll just sneak into the garage to –" Veronica yanked on his hand and shook her head violently.

"No breaking and entering."

"But the door is unlocked…"

"Doesn't matter. If we take photos in there without having gotten permission to be in there, we can't use them as evidence. Just get what you can through the window."

Logan huffed out a breath and began taking pictures of what he could see. A child's bike was leaning on the wall, a worn table with tools was next to the door, and large Rubbermaid containers full of books and households items were on the floor.

The light in the kitchen flicked off, leaving the backyard in complete darkness. Veronica grabbed his hand and dragged him to the other side of the garage and into the alley. They walked down the alley to the next street then turned onto the street the car was parked on. As soon as they got into the car, Logan turned and grinned wide at Veronica. "That was fun!"

She laughed and nodded. "It can be entertaining. What did you see in the garage?" Logan told her and she shook her head. "It's not him stealing. I guess he could be hiding it in some secret off shore account but most people who steal want the instant gratification of spending it." Veronica pulled out her laptop from her bag and powered it on, connecting her camera and downloading the photos from the memory card. She opened up her email and saw one from Mac asking her to call when she got a chance. "Mac wants me to call her. It's only 10:30pm, let's head over to the other guy's house." She gave Logan the address and opened her cell phone.

Mac answered quickly and explained what she'd found by snooping in their computer records. Schultz spent his time online pursing a Bachelor's degree, watching girl-on-girl porn, and Skype-ing with his kids. Jeff Kirkland, the bookkeeper for the store, has been emailing with a guy selling a boat on Craigslist, booking a Vegas vacation, and playing Texas Hold 'Em. Veronica promised Mac she'd figure this out and hung up. She replayed the conversation to Logan.

"I don't think its Schultz. He looks like a good guy, trying to get his life together and take care of his kids, the porn notwithstanding," Logan remarked and Veronica agreed. "The other guy may be a little more suspicious. Can he afford a boat and a vacation at the same time? Does he have gambling debt?" Veronica didn't know and made a mental note to look into his background further.

They pulled up to a small townhouse condo and she pointed to the right side. "That's his address. Doesn't look like he's home or awake. No car in the driveway and no backyard. All the windows are closed up so I can't even get pictures of the inside." She sighed and put her camera and laptop back into her bag. "This is a bust. Let's go back to your house and we'll start fresh tomorrow."

Logan leaned over and gave Veronica a quick, hard kiss on the mouth before putting the car into gear.

"What was that for?" she asked.

"You're so sexy. I needed to kiss you."

She quirked an eyebrow. "You needed to?"

He nodded solemnly. "Yes. Don't complain or I'll feel the need to do some other reprehensible things to you."

Veronica's body tingled with intrigue. She remembered how good it felt earlier to kiss him and touch him. "Well… I guess I shouldn't complain then," she said lamely. He smirked at her and grabbed her hand.

The pulled into Logan's driveway a few minutes later and made their way into the house. Lynn was already in her bedroom so Logan left her keys on the kitchen counter. He grabbed two bottles of water and tossed one to Veronica.

"So what's the next step?" he asked.

"I need to dig deeper into Kirkland's background. I also found something odd in Mac's dad's background. He got a big settlement in the early 90's. With a settlement that big, I bet it hit the news. I was thinking the library might have copies of the newspapers from back then." She drank from her bottle and looked thoughtful.

"I'll go with. This has been fun, watching you in detective mode." He waggled his eyebrows at her.

"It suits me, I guess. It's kind of a loner activity. And it pays the bills, so that's a plus."

Logan felt a small wave of shame. She wasn't a loner by nature. She was bright and charming and charismatic. At least she used to be, before he set out to ruin her. Veronica noticed his expression and frowned. He shrugged and mentally shook off the mood. Stalking towards her predatorily, he grinned when she eyed her potential exits. He trapped her in his arms and drew her up for a big, loud, messy kiss. She melted against him and he smiled.

After a few moments, she broke apart and cleared her throat. "It's late. I should be uh… going to bed." She finished her bottle of water and threw it in the recycling bin. He nodded and felt a jolt of awareness that she'd be sleeping in the room next to his. She grabbed her bag and they walked up the stairs, shooting each other sly looks. He stopped in front of the guest room she'd be sleeping in and gave her a quick peck on the forehead.

"Good night Veronica. Sweet dreams." He walked towards his room and opened the door. Before walking in, he looked back to see her standing where he left her, watching him. He winked and blew her a kiss before she blushed and quickly entered her room. He laughed and sat down on the bed, wondering how he got so lucky to have her back in his life.

* * *

The next morning, Veronica woke up bleary eyed and confused. It took her a few long moments before she remembered she was at the Echolls house. A wave of panic and grief over her mother's abandonment washed through her before she purposely shoved it down. _Time to move on, soldier_. After staggering into the bathroom and feeling a bit more human after a shower, she checked her cell phone and saw a text message from her dad saying he'd be home that afternoon. She smiled as she made her way downstairs and into the kitchen.

Logan and his mom were standing near the counter, both drinking a cup of a coffee. Logan smiled at her when she walked into the room then poured another cup of coffee and handed it to her. She sipped it and sighed in content.

"What are your plans today?" Lynn asked.

"Library to do some research. How about you?" Logan replied.

"Christmas shopping and lunch with my agent. I'm thinking about getting into producing or writing."

Logan's eyebrows rose. "Not acting?" She shook her head. He thought and said, "I think you'd be good at either or both." Lynn beamed at him.

"Well, I'll be off. Be careful you two. Aaron is out of the hospital. One of the sheriff deputies called me last night to let me know." She kissed Logan's cheek and gave Veronica's arm a squeeze before sweeping out of the room.

Logan and Veronica stood in comfortable silence, sipping their coffee. Feeling even more human after the caffeine, she hopped up on the counter and grabbed an apple from the bowl, taking a big bite out of it. He smirked in amusement before coming to stand between her legs and kiss her apple sweet lips.

"Hi," she said cheekily.

"Hi," he grinned and rubbed his nose against hers, vaguely remembering it was called an Eskimo kiss.

"Ready to face the day, Captain? Defeat dusty books and conquer old microfiche?"

"Ooh, have you decided to wear the black leather then, Black Widow?" She laughed and shoved at his chest. He feigned falling back and came back forward to tickle her ribs.

Squirming, she cried out, "No leather! At least not to the library. I'm not ruling it out entirely." Logan gaped at her and she laughed.

"Duly noted. What are we looking for at the library?"

"Mac's parents won a big settlement sometime in 1992. I'm hoping the newspaper will show it. Articles that old aren't online so we're stuck looking at old copies." She slid down the counter and put her bag on her shoulder. "Time's a-wasting. Let's solve this case and collect our bounty."

Logan took Veronica's hand and spun her into his arms, dipping her back and placing a kiss on her lips. "I am at your service." She laughed and they walked out of the house before stopping short before Logan's car.

"You aren't supposed to be here," Logan said to the man leaning against his car hood. Veronica pulled out her cell phone and dialed 911.

"Dispatch, what is your emergency?" the tinny voice on the phone said.

"Get Sheriff Lamb. Aaron Echolls is breaking his restraining order."


End file.
